Find out how popular the last name Ragsdale is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ragsdale.

Ragsdale, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ragsdale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ragsdale in America

Ragsdale is the 2932nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ragsdale surname appeared 12,227 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Ragsdale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ragsdale to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ragsdale

The surname Ragsdale is of English origin, deriving from a placename in the county of Lancashire. It is believed to have emerged during the 13th century, initially taking the form of "Raggesdale" or "Raggesdeill", referring to a valley or dale associated with a person named Ragg or Ragge. These old English personal names were derived from the Norse word "raggr", meaning shaggy or unkempt.

Records from the 13th and 14th centuries indicate the name was concentrated in the areas around Clitheroe and Pendle Hill in Lancashire. One of the earliest known references is in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332, which mention a Adam de Raggesdeill residing in the village of Whalley.

By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, appearing in parish records as Ragsdale, Raggesdale, and Raggisdale. The earliest recorded birth of a Ragsdale was that of Robert Ragsdale in Clitheroe in 1586.

While the name was largely confined to Lancashire for several centuries, it gradually spread across England in the 17th and 18th centuries. Notable individuals bearing the surname during this time include William Ragsdale (1633-1711), a prominent merchant and landowner in Oxfordshire, and John Ragsdale (1675-1744), a renowned clockmaker from London.

As the British Empire expanded, the name also found its way to various colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances in North America was that of Thomas Ragsdale, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635. Another notable early settler was Captain Edward Ragsdale (1624-1676), who served in the Virginia militia and was granted land in what is now Surry County.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Sir Michael Ragsdale (1728-1810), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and James Ragsdale (1838-1912), a Union Army veteran and lawyer who later became a judge in Arkansas.

Throughout its history, the surname Ragsdale has maintained a strong presence in both the United Kingdom and the United States, with various spellings and variations emerging over time, such as Ragsdale, Ragdale, and Ragsdill.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ragsdale

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ragsdale.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ragsdale was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ragsdale has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ragsdale was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ragsdale, please contact us.

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