2000
#2,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,287
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.30
Uncommon Last name
Reardon
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ríoghbhardáin," meaning "descendant of Ríoghbhardán" (royal poet).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,772 Americans carry the last name Reardon. That puts it at #2,564 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,732 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reardon 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 Reardon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,732
Census rank
#2,564
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,754 bearers of the surname Reardon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2564th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reardon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reardon
The surname Reardon is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Riordain, which means 'descendant of the ruddy one' or 'son of the red-haired man'. The name was prominent in County Cork and County Kerry, particularly in the baronies of Duhallow and West Muskerry.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, where it appeared as O'Riordane in the year 1599. Other early variations included O'Riordyn, O'Reyredane, and Ryerdon. The name was also recorded in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, which were tax records for County Cork.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Donough Reardon, who was a member of the Irish Parliament for the constituency of Doneraile in County Cork in the late 17th century. Another notable figure was Reverend John Reardon, who was born in County Cork in 1713 and served as the vicar of Kilkenny and the Dean of Ferns in the Church of Ireland.
In the 18th century, the name Reardon was associated with the village of Castletownroche in County Cork, which was once known as Reardon's Town or Reardanstown. There was also a Reardon's Castle in the nearby town of Killavullen, which belonged to a branch of the Reardon family.
During the 19th century, several members of the Reardon family made their mark in various fields. Patrick Reardon (1823-1893) was a prominent Irish Nationalist and Member of Parliament for the constituency of East Cork. His cousin, James Reardon (1830-1897), was a renowned lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
Another notable figure was Timothy Reardon (1828-1904), who was a Catholic priest and educator. He founded the Christian Brothers' School in Tralee, County Kerry, and was instrumental in the establishment of several other schools in the region. Meanwhile, John Reardon (1860-1933) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Dublin, including the National Library of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reardon
Among Census respondents with the surname Reardon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Reardon 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 Reardon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 12,638
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 445
- Two or more races2.8% · 386
- Black or African American1.2% · 170
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reardon
Reardon 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
#2,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,435
+148 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 4.89
Rank movement Down 189 places
2020
#2,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,754
-681 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 4.60
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,320 | 14,287 | 5.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,509 | 14,435 | 4.89 | +148 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 189 places |
| 2020 | #2,564 | 13,754 | 4.60 | -681 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 55 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 Reardon 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 | #2,509 | #2,564 | -2.2% |
| Count | 14,435 | 13,754 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.89 | 4.60 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reardon bearers went from 14,435 to 13,754 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,509 to #2,564.
FAQ
Reardon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reardon?
Name Census estimates that about 15,772 living Americans carry the surname Reardon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,732 residents.
How common is Reardon?
Reardon ranks #2,564 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,754 people with the surname Reardon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,772), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Reardon.
Has Reardon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reardon went from 14,435 recorded bearers to 13,754. That is a decrease of 681 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,509 to #2,564.
What does the Census say about the background of Reardon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reardon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Reardon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (12,638 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reardon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Reardon (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 Reardon mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ríoghbhardáin," meaning "descendant of Ríoghbhardán" (royal poet). 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 Reardon (4.60 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 are called Reardon?
If you just want to know how many people are called Reardon, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.