Find out how popular the last name Rice is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rice.

Rice, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rice surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rice in America

Rice is the 184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rice surname appeared 149,500 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 51 people would have the surname Rice.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rice to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rice

The surname Rice is of English and Irish origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "ryge," meaning "rye," which was a type of cereal grain crop. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who grew or dealt in rye.

In England, the surname Rice can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Ris" and "Rise." This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Rice in Ireland date back to the 13th century, when it was spelled as "Rys" or "Ryse." It is believed that the name was introduced to Ireland by English settlers during the Norman invasion and subsequent colonization efforts.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Rice was Sir Edmund Rice (1638-1711), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in England. Another prominent individual was Sir Ralph Rice (1647-1727), an English judge and member of Parliament.

In the United States, the surname Rice can be traced back to the 17th century, with early settlers such as Edmund Rice (1594-1663), who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and is considered the progenitor of the Rice family in America.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rice include Anne Rice (1941-2021), the famous American author known for her gothic fiction and the "Vampire Chronicles" series, and Condoleezza Rice (born 1954), the former United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor.

The surname Rice has also been associated with various place names, such as Rice Lake in Ontario, Canada, and Rice County in Minnesota, United States, which were likely named after individuals bearing the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rice

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rice.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rice was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rice has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rice was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rice, please contact us.

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