2000
#2,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,543
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.28
Uncommon Last name
Ricci
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who curled or frizzed hair or made wigs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,777 Americans carry the last name Ricci. That puts it at #3,161 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ricci 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 Ricci with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,826
Census rank
#3,161
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,142 bearers of the surname Ricci in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3161st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricci, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ricci
The surname Ricci has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "riccio," which means "curly" or "frizzy," referring to a person's hair texture.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Ricci name can be found in the Florentine Priorista, a historical document from the 13th century, which lists the names of prominent Florentine families and their representatives in the city's governing council. The Ricci family was among those listed, indicating their influential status during that period.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the Ricci surname was Pietro Ricci, a Florentine merchant and banker who played a significant role in the economic and political affairs of the city-state. He was born in 1320 and lived until 1388.
During the Renaissance period, the Ricci family continued to hold a prominent position in Florentine society. One of the most renowned members was Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), a Jesuit priest and missionary who was one of the first Westerners to introduce Christianity and Western science to China.
Another notable individual with the Ricci surname was Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734), a Venetian Baroque painter known for his frescoes and altarpieces. His works can be found in various churches and palaces throughout Italy and Europe.
In the 19th century, Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro (1853-1925), an Italian mathematician, made significant contributions to the field of tensor calculus, which laid the foundation for Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Throughout its history, the Ricci surname has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Riccione, a town in the Emilia-Romagna region, and Riccia, a municipality in the Molise region. These place names may have influenced the spelling and variations of the surname over time.
While the Ricci name has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, the focus of this report is on the historical origins and significance of the surname within the Italian context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ricci
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricci, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ricci 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 Ricci surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 10,005
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 719
- Two or more races2.3% · 255
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 95
- Black or African American0.5% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ricci
Ricci 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
#3,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,534
-9 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 272 places
2020
#3,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,142
-392 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.73
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,855 | 11,543 | 4.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,127 | 11,534 | 3.91 | -9 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 272 places |
| 2020 | #3,161 | 11,142 | 3.73 | -392 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 34 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 Ricci 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 | #3,127 | #3,161 | -1.1% |
| Count | 11,534 | 11,142 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.91 | 3.73 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ricci bearers went from 11,534 to 11,142 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,127 to #3,161.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ricci
FAQ
Ricci surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ricci?
Name Census estimates that about 12,777 living Americans carry the surname Ricci. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,826 residents.
How common is Ricci?
Ricci ranks #3,161 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,142 people with the surname Ricci. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,777), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Ricci.
Has Ricci become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ricci went from 11,534 recorded bearers to 11,142. That is a decrease of 392 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,127 to #3,161.
What does the Census say about the background of Ricci?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricci, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ricci in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (10,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ricci appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ricci (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 Ricci mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who curled or frizzed hair or made wigs. 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 Ricci (3.73 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 share the surname Ricci?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.