Recorde

Recorde is a surname of Welsh origin that appears in early modern English records. The spelling variant Record is common in some sources, reflecting historical orthographic variation. In contemporary usage, Recorde is rare and most often encountered in historical contexts.

The most prominent bearer of the name is Robert Recorde (c.1512–1558), a Welsh physician and mathematician. He was active in the mid-16th century and contributed to the spread of mathematical notation in England. Recorde published The Grounde of Artes in 1543, a didactic text on algebra that helped introduce European algebraic methods to English readers. He is best known for The Whetstone of Witte, published in 1557, where he popularized the equals sign "=" as a notation for equality. The work also helped standardize several other mathematical symbols and terms, representing a notable step in the development of symbolic notation in English-language mathematics.

Recorde’s name has appeared in historical accounts primarily through his association with mathematics and science in Tudor England. Outside of Robert Recorde, there is little sustained biographical documentation of other notable individuals bearing the surname, and the name today remains uncommon. In modern times, occurrences of the surname Recorde are mostly found in genealogical and historical writings rather than as a common contemporary surname. The name is sometimes discussed in the broader context of Welsh contributions to science and the history of mathematics.