2000
#6,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,806
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Ready
Derived from the Old English word "read," meaning "red," likely referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,401 Americans carry the last name Ready. That puts it at #6,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,461 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ready surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ready with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,461
Census rank
#6,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,710 bearers of the surname Ready in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ready, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ready
The surname Ready is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "ræde" which means "counsel" or "advice". It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the Middle Ages. For example, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 mentions a William le Redye, indicating the surname's presence in that region during that time period.
The name Ready is likely an occupational surname, referring to individuals who were known for their wisdom and ability to provide counsel or advice to others. It may have been given to advisors, counselors, or even village elders who were sought out for their guidance.
In the late 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the parish of St. Mary Arches in Exeter, Devon, with the baptism of a child named John Ready in 1592. This suggests the surname was well-established in the Devon area by that point.
One notable bearer of the Ready surname was Sir Samuel Ready (1623-1693), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Tiverton in Devon during the late 17th century.
Another individual of historical significance was John Ready (1790-1859), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former headquarters of the London Fire Brigade on Southwark Bridge Road.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Ready surname is Thomas Ready, who was born in Virginia in 1695 and later settled in Maryland.
Other notable individuals with the Ready surname include James Ready (1803-1877), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Ready School of Social Work at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
William Ready (1847-1919) was a British-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Parliament of South Australia and worked to promote the rights of workers and trade unions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ready
Among Census respondents with the surname Ready, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ready bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ready surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 3,843
- Black or African American8.3% · 391
- Two or more races5.3% · 248
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 146
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ready
Ready appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,875
+69 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 382 places
2020
#6,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,710
-165 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,514 | 4,806 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,896 | 4,875 | 1.65 | +69 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 382 places |
| 2020 | #6,871 | 4,710 | 1.58 | -165 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 25 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ready surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,896 | #6,871 | 0.4% |
| Count | 4,875 | 4,710 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.58 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ready bearers went from 4,875 to 4,710 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,896 to #6,871.
FAQ
Ready surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ready?
Name Census estimates that about 5,401 living Americans carry the surname Ready. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,461 residents.
How common is Ready?
Ready ranks #6,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,710 people with the surname Ready. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ready.
Has Ready become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ready went from 4,875 recorded bearers to 4,710. That is a decrease of 165 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,896 to #6,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Ready?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ready, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ready in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (3,843 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ready appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Black (8.3%), Two or More Races (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ready (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ready mean?
Derived from the Old English word "read," meaning "red," likely referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ready (1.58 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Ready?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ready at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.