Ryon
A masculine name of Irish origin meaning "little king".
Name Census estimates that about 1,950 living Americans carry the first name Ryon. It is a predominantly male name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Ryon today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ryon births was 1989 (72 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ryon. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ryon with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 175,771 Americans
Peak year
1989
72 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,621
Tracked since 1962
Census
Ryon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,740 people with the first name Ryon, which placed it at #8,356 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,356
National first-name rank
People counted
1.7K
1,740 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
63.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ryon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ryon is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ryon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ryon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 1,099
- Black or African American20.5% · 357
- Two or more races6.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 24
Gender
Gender distribution for Ryon
Out of the 2,026 babies given the name Ryon since 1880, 99.2% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Ryon as a male name
- Ranked #7,621 in 2024
- 11 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1989 (72 births)
Ryon as a female name
- Ranked #17,676 in 2018
- 5 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1981 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ryon leans strongly male. 1,655 people counted with this name were male (95.1%), compared with 86 female bearers (4.9%).
Popularity
Ryon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ryon from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 516 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ryon 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 Ryon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ryons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Ryon, while Pennsylvania, Oregon, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ryon
The name Ryon is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language, specifically in the region that is now known as Wales and parts of western England. It is thought to be derived from the Welsh word "rhyn," which means "promontory" or "headland." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone who lived near a prominent geographical feature, such as a hill or a cliff.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ryon dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in medieval Welsh poetry and literature. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Rion" or "Rhion," reflecting the phonetic variations of the era. It is possible that the name was also influenced by the Old Welsh word "rhiain," meaning "leader" or "chief."
In the centuries that followed, the name Ryon continued to be used, primarily in Wales and the surrounding regions. However, it remained relatively uncommon, with only a handful of notable individuals bearing the name throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded figures with the name Ryon was Ryon ap Madog, a Welsh nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the political and military affairs of his time, serving as a advisor to several Welsh princes.
Another notable bearer of the name was Ryon Goch, a 15th-century Welsh poet and bard who is credited with composing numerous poems and songs that celebrated the culture and history of Wales. His works were highly regarded and helped to preserve the Welsh literary tradition during a time of significant political and social upheaval.
In the 16th century, Ryon Ddu was a renowned Welsh physician and herbalist who contributed significantly to the field of traditional medicine. His writings on the medicinal properties of various plants and herbs were widely studied and influential in his time.
Moving into the 17th century, Ryon Fychan was a Welsh landowner and politician who played a role in the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and was known for his efforts to promote religious tolerance and freedom of conscience.
Finally, in the 19th century, Ryon Jones was a Welsh artist and illustrator who gained recognition for his intricate woodcut prints and engravings, many of which depicted scenes from Welsh folklore and mythology.
While the name Ryon has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, its deep roots in Welsh culture and its connection to the natural landscape of Wales have endured, preserving its unique character and significance.
People
Ryon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ryon 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
Ryon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ryon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,950 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ryon 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 1 in 175,771 US residents.
Is Ryon a common name?
We classify Ryon as "Rare". It ranks above 93.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,026 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ryon most popular?
The single biggest year for Ryon was 1989, when 72 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ryon is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ryon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,740 people with the name Ryon, or 0.58 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,356 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ryon in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ryon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ryon leans strongly male. 1,655 people counted with this name were male (95.1%), compared with 86 female bearers (4.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ryon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ryon is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ryon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ryon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (1,099 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Ryon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ryon a male name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Ryon 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 Ryon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ryon 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 Ryon 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.
How many people have Ryon as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.