2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Richadson
An English surname derived from the given name Richard and "son" meaning "son of Richard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Richadson. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Richadson 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Richadson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Richadson, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (45.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Richadson
The surname Richardson is of Anglo-Saxon origin and dates back to the medieval era in England. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "ric" meaning rich and "horde" meaning dweller, referring to someone who lived near a wealthy estate or manor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Ricardus Filius Ricardi in Lincolnshire. The name also appears in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where it is spelled as Richardesun.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name began to spread across different regions of England, with variations in spelling like Richerson, Richardsonn, and Richarsoun. Place names like Richardson's Yard in Lincolnshire and Richardson's Lees in Yorkshire also emerged, reflecting the presence of families bearing this name.
Notable historical figures with the surname Richardson include Sir Thomas Richardson (c. 1569-1635), an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench, and Jonathan Richardson (1665-1745), an influential English portrait painter and writer on art theory.
Other prominent individuals include Samuel Richardson (1689-1761), an English novelist who is regarded as one of the earliest practitioners of the modern novel, and Ralph Richardson (1902-1983), a renowned English actor known for his performances in films like "The Heiress" and "Doctor Zhivago."
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is John Richardson, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. The Richardson family played a significant role in the American Revolution, with Israel Richardson (1719-1801) serving as a lieutenant in the Continental Army.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Richadson
Among Census respondents with the surname Richadson, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (45.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Richadson 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 Richadson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.7% · 53
- Black or African American45.0% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Richadson
Richadson 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,638 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 730 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,638 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 730 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 Richadson 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 | #149,395 | #148,665 | 0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 111 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Richadson bearers went from 110 to 111 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 730 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #148,665.
FAQ
Richadson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Richadson?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Richadson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Richadson?
Richadson ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Richadson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Richadson.
Has Richadson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Richadson went from 110 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Richadson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Richadson, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (45.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Richadson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (53 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Richadson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.7%), Black (45.0%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Richadson (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 Richadson mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Richard and "son" meaning "son of Richard." 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 Richadson (0.04 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 are called Richadson?
Find out how many people are called Richadson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.