2000
#35,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Riccardo
A surname derived from the given name Riccardo, representing people who bore or were named after the name Ricardo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 664 Americans carry the last name Riccardo. That puts it at #40,697 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 516,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riccardo 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
664
1 in 516,196
Census rank
#40,697
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
579
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 579 bearers of the surname Riccardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40697th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riccardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riccardo
The surname RICCARDO is of Italian origin, with its roots dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be a patronymic name, derived from the Italian personal name Riccardo, which itself is derived from the Germanic name Rikhард, meaning "powerful" and "brave".
The name RICCARDO can be traced back to various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern areas such as Tuscany, Lombardy, and Veneto. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One notable historical reference to the name RICCARDO is found in the writings of the famous Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), who mentioned a person named Riccardo da Camino in his literary work "The Divine Comedy". This suggests that the name was in use during Dante's time.
The earliest recorded example of the surname RICCARDO can be found in the records of the city of Florence, where a man named Riccardo di Betto was mentioned in a document dated 1327. Other early examples include Riccardo da Montefeltro (1370-1423), a renowned Italian condottiero (mercenary leader), and Riccardo Testa Piccolomini (1400-1466), an Italian cardinal and diplomat.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname RICCARDO. One such person was Riccardo Muti (born 1941), an Italian conductor and music director who has led some of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Another prominent figure was Riccardo Giacconi (1931-2018), an Italian-American astrophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2002 for his pioneering work in X-ray astronomy.
In the realm of literature, Riccardo Bacchelli (1891-1985) was an Italian novelist and playwright known for his historical novels and his contributions to Italian theater.
The name RICCARDO has also been associated with the world of art, with Riccardo Guarnieri (1933-2000) being a renowned Italian sculptor and painter known for his abstract works.
Finally, Riccardo Patrese (born 1954) was an Italian racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1977 to 1993, achieving six grand prix victories and finishing as the runner-up in the 1992 World Drivers' Championship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riccardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Riccardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Riccardo 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 Riccardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 522
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 27
- Two or more races3.1% · 18
- Black or African American1.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riccardo
Riccardo 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
#46,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 463
-142 bearers (-23.5%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 10,798 places
2020
#40,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 579
+116 bearers (+25.1%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 5,340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,239 | 605 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,037 | 463 | 0.16 | -142 bearers (-23.5%) | Down 10,798 places |
| 2020 | #40,697 | 579 | 0.19 | +116 bearers (+25.1%) | Up 5,340 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 Riccardo 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 | #46,037 | #40,697 | 11.6% |
| Count | 463 | 579 | 25.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.19 | 21.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riccardo bearers went from 463 to 579 (+25.1% change). The surname moved up 5,340 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,037 to #40,697.
FAQ
Riccardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riccardo?
Name Census estimates that about 664 living Americans carry the surname Riccardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 516,196 residents.
How common is Riccardo?
Riccardo ranks #40,697 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 579 people with the surname Riccardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (664), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Riccardo.
Has Riccardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riccardo went from 463 recorded bearers to 579. That is an increase of 116 (+25.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #46,037 to #40,697.
What does the Census say about the background of Riccardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riccardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Riccardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (522 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riccardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Riccardo (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 Riccardo mean?
A surname derived from the given name Riccardo, representing people who bore or were named after the name Ricardo. 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 Riccardo (0.19 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 Riccardo?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Riccardo, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.