2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Richerdson
A surname derived from the personal name Richard combined with the patronymic suffix "-son".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Richerdson. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Richerdson 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 Richerdson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Richerdson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Richerdson, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.3%. The next largest groups are Black (42.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Richerdson
The surname Richerdson is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from an Old English personal name, Richard, which means "brave power" or "rich ruler." The suffix "-son" was commonly added to names to indicate a person's paternal lineage, effectively meaning "son of Richard."
Richerdson is a variant spelling of the more common surname Richardson, which is found in historical records dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a person named Adam Richardessone is mentioned.
The name Richerdson has strong connections to various locations in England, particularly in the northern counties. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to individuals with the name Richard or its variants, suggesting the name's widespread use during the Norman conquest.
One notable bearer of the Richerdson surname was Sir Thomas Richerdson (1569-1635), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1626 to 1635. Another prominent figure was William Richerdson (1743-1814), an English clergyman and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology.
In the literary world, Samuel Richerdson (1689-1761) was an influential English writer and printer, best known for his novels "Pamela" and "Clarissa." These works were instrumental in establishing the novel as a respected literary genre in the 18th century.
Another individual with the Richerdson surname was John Richerdson (1755-1838), an English artist and writer who is renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting the Lake District in northern England.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Richerdson name was also found in various parts of North America, particularly in the British colonies along the eastern seaboard. This was likely due to immigration from England during this period.
While the spelling "Richerdson" is less common than "Richardson," it serves as a reminder of the variations that can occur in surnames over time, often influenced by regional dialects or personal preferences. The name's origins can be traced back to the early days of English history, reflecting the enduring legacy of personal names and their role in shaping modern surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Richerdson
Among Census respondents with the surname Richerdson, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.3%. The next largest groups are Black (42.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Richerdson 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 Richerdson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.3% · 56
- Black or African American42.9% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Richerdson
Richerdson 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-16 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,680 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 24,680 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 361 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 Richerdson 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 | #152,628 | #152,989 | -0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 105 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Richerdson bearers went from 107 to 105 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,989.
FAQ
Richerdson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Richerdson?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Richerdson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Richerdson?
Richerdson ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Richerdson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Richerdson.
Has Richerdson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Richerdson went from 107 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Richerdson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Richerdson, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.3%. The next largest groups are Black (42.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Richerdson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.3% (56 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Richerdson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.3%), Black (42.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Richerdson (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 Richerdson mean?
A surname derived from the personal name Richard combined with the patronymic suffix "-son". 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 Richerdson (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 have the last name Richerdson?
Want to know how many people are called Richerdson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.