2000
#86,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Rica
A surname derived from Latin meaning 'rich' or 'wealthy'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Rica. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rica 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.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Rica in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rica, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rica
The surname Rica has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "rico," which means "rich" or "wealthy," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been affluent individuals or landowners.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Riqua" or "Ricca," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in medieval times. Historical records from Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Castile, contain numerous references to individuals bearing the surname Rica or its variants.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the "Libro de las Behetrías," a 14th-century manuscript that recorded the names of landowners and their properties. Several individuals with the surname Rica are listed in this important historical document.
Over the centuries, the name has been associated with various notable figures. For instance, Juan Rica (1564-1628) was a Spanish painter and sculptor who gained recognition for his religious works in the Baroque style. Another notable bearer of the name was Miguel Rica (1720-1792), a Spanish military engineer who served in the Spanish Army during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence in the literary world with the birth of Dolores Rica (1835-1891), a Spanish writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and novels. Her works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Moving forward to the 20th century, Enrique Rica (1909-1988) was a renowned Spanish architect who contributed to the modernist architectural movement in Spain. His designs, characterized by clean lines and functional aesthetics, can be seen in various buildings throughout the country.
While the surname Rica has its roots in Spain, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries, due to Spanish influence and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rica
Among Census respondents with the surname Rica, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rica 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 Rica surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.9% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino24.1% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.3% · 16
- Black or African American9.8% · 11
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rica
Rica 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-77 bearers (-38.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 49,792 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,657 | 200 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -77 bearers (-38.5%) | Down 49,792 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,505 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 Rica 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 | #136,449 | #147,954 | -8.4% |
| Count | 123 | 112 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rica bearers went from 123 to 112 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #147,954.
FAQ
Rica surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rica?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Rica. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Rica?
Rica ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Rica. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rica.
Has Rica become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rica went from 123 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Rica?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rica, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%). 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 Rica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.9% (57 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rica appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.9%), Hispanic (24.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%). 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 Rica (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 Rica mean?
A surname derived from Latin meaning 'rich' or 'wealthy'. 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 Rica (0.04 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 common is the surname Rica?
See how common the surname Rica is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.