2000
#8,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,781
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Ricciardi
An Italian occupational surname referring to a curly-haired person or a hedgehog breeder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,071 Americans carry the last name Ricciardi. That puts it at #8,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,194 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ricciardi 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 Ricciardi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,194
Census rank
#8,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,550 bearers of the surname Ricciardi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricciardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ricciardi
The surname Ricciardi originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian personal name Riccio, which means "curly-haired". The name ultimately comes from the Latin word "riccius" or "ericius", meaning "hedgehog".
The earliest known record of the Ricciardi name dates back to the 11th century, when it appeared in various documents from the regions of Campania and Basilicata in southern Italy. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, possibly referring to someone with curly or untidy hair.
During the Middle Ages, the Ricciardi name was also found in various manuscripts and records from other parts of Italy, indicating that members of the family had spread to different regions. One notable early example is Riccardo Ricciardi, a nobleman from Salerno who lived in the 13th century and was known for his military exploits during the Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines.
In the 14th century, the Ricciardi family gained prominence in Naples, where they were part of the city's aristocracy. One famous member from this period was Marino Ricciardi, a wealthy merchant and banker who lived from 1335 to 1405 and was involved in financing various military campaigns.
The Ricciardi name also has ties to several place names in Italy, such as Ricciardo, a town in the province of Caserta, and Riccia, a municipality in the province of Campobasso. These places may have been named after individuals with the Ricciardi surname or derived from the same root word.
Other notable individuals with the Ricciardi surname include Giovanni Ricciardi (1509-1574), an Italian jurist and legal scholar from Naples; Niccolò Ricciardi (1585-1639), a Baroque painter and architect from Genoa; and Antonio Ricciardi (1677-1756), an Italian composer and violinist from Naples who was renowned for his operas and concertos.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ricciardi
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricciardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ricciardi 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 Ricciardi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 3,281
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 182
- Two or more races1.5% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ricciardi
Ricciardi 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
#8,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,951
+170 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 301 places
2020
#8,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,550
-401 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 479 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,076 | 3,781 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,377 | 3,951 | 1.34 | +170 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 301 places |
| 2020 | #8,856 | 3,550 | 1.19 | -401 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 479 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 Ricciardi 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 | #8,377 | #8,856 | -5.7% |
| Count | 3,951 | 3,550 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.19 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ricciardi bearers went from 3,951 to 3,550 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 479 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,377 to #8,856.
FAQ
Ricciardi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ricciardi?
Name Census estimates that about 4,071 living Americans carry the surname Ricciardi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,194 residents.
How common is Ricciardi?
Ricciardi ranks #8,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,550 people with the surname Ricciardi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,071), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ricciardi.
Has Ricciardi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ricciardi went from 3,951 recorded bearers to 3,550. That is a decrease of 401 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,377 to #8,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Ricciardi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricciardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Ricciardi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (3,281 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ricciardi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Ricciardi (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 Ricciardi mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a curly-haired person or a hedgehog breeder. 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 Ricciardi (1.19 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 Americans have the surname Ricciardi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.