2000
#9,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Richburg
A habitational surname referring to someone from a fortified town or castle of great wealth or splendor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,487 Americans carry the last name Richburg. That puts it at #10,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Richburg 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
3.5K
1 in 98,295
Census rank
#10,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,041 bearers of the surname Richburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Richburg, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Richburg
The surname Richburg has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "reich" meaning rich and "burg" meaning castle or fortified town. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a wealthy or prosperous town or city.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Richburg can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, in 1562, where a merchant named Johannes Richburg is mentioned. Another early reference is in the parish records of Augsburg, Germany, from 1578, where a Hans Richburg is listed as a resident.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records across Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as Reichburg, Reychburg, and Richeborg. One notable individual from this period was Peter Richburg, a Lutheran minister who served in the town of Wittenberg from 1632 to 1687.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and North America, the name Richburg traveled with them. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Richburg is recorded as having settled in Pennsylvania, United States. One member of this family, Johann Richburg, was born in 1765 and served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the name Richburg gained some prominence in the literary world. Wilhelm Richburg, a German poet and writer, was born in 1828 and published several collections of poetry and plays during his lifetime. Another notable figure was Anna Richburg, born in 1842, who was a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights in Germany.
As the surname spread across different regions, it also underwent variations in spelling and pronunciation. In England, for example, the name was sometimes spelled as Richborough or Richbrough, likely influenced by the town of Richborough in Kent, which was the site of an ancient Roman fortification.
Other historical figures bearing the surname Richburg include Friedrich Richburg, a German musician and composer who lived from 1855 to 1924, and Hans Richburg, a German architect and urban planner active in the early 20th century, known for his work in the city of Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Richburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Richburg, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Richburg 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 Richburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.9% · 1,609
- White39.4% · 1,197
- Two or more races4.3% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Richburg
Richburg 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
#10,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,205
+87 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 483 places
2020
#10,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,041
-164 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,567 | 3,118 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,050 | 3,205 | 1.09 | +87 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 483 places |
| 2020 | #10,101 | 3,041 | 1.02 | -164 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 51 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 Richburg 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 | #10,050 | #10,101 | -0.5% |
| Count | 3,205 | 3,041 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.02 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Richburg bearers went from 3,205 to 3,041 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,050 to #10,101.
FAQ
Richburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Richburg?
Name Census estimates that about 3,487 living Americans carry the surname Richburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,295 residents.
How common is Richburg?
Richburg ranks #10,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,041 people with the surname Richburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Richburg.
Has Richburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Richburg went from 3,205 recorded bearers to 3,041. That is a decrease of 164 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,050 to #10,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Richburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Richburg, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Richburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.9% (1,609 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Richburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.9%), White (39.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Richburg (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 Richburg mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from a fortified town or castle of great wealth or splendor. 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 Richburg (1.02 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 have the surname Richburg?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.