2000
#654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,477
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.60
Uncommon Last name
Rich
An English surname referring to someone who was wealthy or a person from a place called Rich.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 54,840 Americans carry the last name Rich. That puts it at #696 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rich 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 Rich with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
55K
1 in 6,250
Census rank
#696
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
48K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,823 bearers of the surname Rich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 696th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rich, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rich
The surname Rich is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "rice" or "riche," meaning wealthy or powerful. It was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was affluent or held a position of authority within their community.
The earliest recorded instances of the Rich surname can be traced back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. One of the earliest known references appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholders and tenants across England at the time.
During the Middle Ages, the Rich surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire, where many individuals bearing the name were documented in various records and charters. Some notable examples include Richard le Rich, a landowner in Oxfordshire mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1197, and Osbert le Rich, a resident of Berkshire noted in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201.
As the surname spread across England, it also gave rise to various place names, such as Richborough in Kent, derived from the Old English "rice" meaning wealthy, and the village of Richmondshire in North Yorkshire, which was originally known as "Richmundwic" or "the wealthy monastery town."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Rich surname. One of the most prominent was Sir Richard Rich (1496-1567), a lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of England under Edward VI. Another was Christopher Rich (1567-1619), an English actor and entrepreneur who established one of the first purpose-built theatres in London, known as the Red Bull Theatre.
In the 18th century, Sir Claudius Rich (1708-1786) was a prominent British merchant and politician who played a significant role in establishing the East India Company's trade in the Persian Gulf region. His son, Sir Robert Rich (1742-1804), was a notable naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
During the 19th century, Jeremiah Rich (1795-1868) was a prominent American businessman and abolitionist who co-founded the Boston-based firm of Rich & Co., one of the largest hide and leather firms in the United States at the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rich
Among Census respondents with the surname Rich, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rich 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 Rich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 39,186
- Black or African American9.3% · 4,428
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,918
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,626
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 358
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 307
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rich
Rich 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
#696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,481
+2,004 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 16.77
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,823
-1,658 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 16.00
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #654 | 47,477 | 17.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #696 | 49,481 | 16.77 | +2,004 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #696 | 47,823 | 16.00 | -1,658 bearers (-3.4%) | No rank change |
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 Rich 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 | #696 | #696 | 0.0% |
| Count | 49,481 | 47,823 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 16.77 | 16.00 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rich bearers went from 49,481 to 47,823 (-3.4% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #696.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rich
FAQ
Rich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rich?
Name Census estimates that about 54,840 living Americans carry the surname Rich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,250 residents.
How common is Rich?
Rich ranks #696 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,823 people with the surname Rich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (54,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Rich.
Has Rich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rich went from 49,481 recorded bearers to 47,823. That is a decrease of 1,658 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it stayed at #696.
What does the Census say about the background of Rich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rich, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Rich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (39,186 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Black (9.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Rich (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 Rich mean?
An English surname referring to someone who was wealthy or a person from a place called Rich. 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 Rich (16.00 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 Rich?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.