Ridgway
A masculine English name signifying someone from the ridge path.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ridgway. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ridgway today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ridgway births was 1915 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ridgway. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ridgway. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#3,750
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Ridgway: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ridgway by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ridgway during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ridgway
The name Ridgway is an English topographic surname that originated in the medieval era. It is derived from the Old English words "hrycg" meaning ridge and "weg" meaning way or path, referring to someone who lived near a ridgeway or path along a ridge.
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled "Riggeweye" or "Ruggeweye" and was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
The name Ridgway has been associated with several notable historical figures over the centuries. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Sir Thomas Ridgway, an English soldier and landowner who lived in the 14th century and fought in the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Ridgway, an American ornithologist and curator at the Smithsonian Institution, born in 1850. He made significant contributions to the study of birds and published numerous works on the subject.
In the 19th century, Matthew Ridgway, an American military officer, was born in 1895. He served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during the Korean War and later became the Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
A more recent figure with the name Ridgway is the American singer-songwriter and musician Steve Ridgway, born in 1966, known for his work with the rock band Lifehouse.
Another notable bearer of the name is the British actor and writer James Ridgway, born in 1976, who has appeared in various television shows and films, including the popular comedy series Gavin & Stacey.
Throughout its history, the name Ridgway has maintained a strong connection to its geographical origins, reflecting the importance of topographic landmarks in the naming traditions of medieval England.
People
Ridgway + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ridgway as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ridgway: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ridgway?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ridgway going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Ridgway a common name?
We classify Ridgway as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ridgway most popular?
The single biggest year for Ridgway was 1915, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ridgway is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ridgway in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ridgway a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ridgway in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ridgway still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ridgway in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ridgway can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Ridgway as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Ridgway, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.