2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ricardson
A variant of the patronymic surname derived from the medieval given name Richard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Ricardson. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ricardson 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Ricardson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricardson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ricardson
The surname Ricardson originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the 12th century. It derives from the ancient Germanic personal name Richard, composed of the elements "ric" meaning power, and "hard" meaning brave or hardy. The suffix "-son" was commonly added to indicate "son of," denoting the original bearer was the son of a man named Richard.
Ricardson is a variant spelling of the more common Richardson, with the "d" omitted. It first emerged in Yorkshire, where many early records of the name can be found. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 list several Ricardson families in that county. By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of northern England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ricardson name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, which mentions a John Ricardson. In the 15th century, the Ricardson family held lands in the village of Calverley, near Bradford. A memorial brass in Calverley Church, dated 1509, commemorates a Richard Ricardson.
Notable historical figures with the Ricardson surname include Sir Thomas Richardson (1569-1635), Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Charles I. William Ricardson (1743-1814) was a prominent English botanist and naturalist who pioneered the study of plant physiology.
In the literary world, Samuel Ricardson (1689-1761) was an influential English writer and printer, best known for his novels "Pamela" and "Clarissa." Joseph Ricardson (1778-1871) was a British bibliographer and antiquary, recognized for his work on preserving rare books and manuscripts.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Ricardson name was James Ricardson (1809-1851), an Arctic explorer who perished during an ill-fated expedition to search for the Northwest Passage. His name is commemorated in various geographic features in the Canadian Arctic.
While the Ricardson surname is relatively uncommon compared to Richardson, it has a long and distinguished history, with bearers making significant contributions across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ricardson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricardson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ricardson 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 Ricardson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.4% · 44
- White44.3% · 43
- Two or more races5.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ricardson
Ricardson 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-16 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,598 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-4 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 26,598 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 3,263 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 Ricardson 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 | #159,712 | #156,449 | 2.0% |
| Count | 101 | 97 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ricardson bearers went from 101 to 97 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 3,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #156,449.
FAQ
Ricardson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ricardson?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Ricardson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Ricardson?
Ricardson ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Ricardson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ricardson.
Has Ricardson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ricardson went from 101 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 4 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Ricardson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricardson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ricardson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.4% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ricardson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.4%), White (44.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Ricardson (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 Ricardson mean?
A variant of the patronymic surname derived from the medieval given name Richard. 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 Ricardson (0.03 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 Ricardson?
See how many people have the surname Ricardson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.