2000
#11,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,463
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Richerson
An English occupational surname referring to someone who was the son of a powerful, rich, or brave man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,354 Americans carry the last name Richerson. That puts it at #14,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Richerson 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 Richerson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,605
Census rank
#14,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,053 bearers of the surname Richerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Richerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Richerson
The surname Richerson has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name that referred to a rich or wealthy person's dwelling or settlement. The name may have evolved from the Old English words "rice" (meaning wealthy or powerful) and "erson" (a diminutive suffix used to indicate a small or minor place).
One of the earliest recorded references to the Richerson name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named Richard Richerson. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Oxfordshire region of England during that period.
In the 14th century, the Richerson name appeared in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Richerson was listed as a taxpayer. This indicates that the Richerson family had established themselves in different parts of England by that time.
During the 15th century, the Richerson name was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was William Richerson, a merchant and alderman in the city of York, who lived between 1420 and 1492. Another was Thomas Richerson, a scholar and clergyman who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1468 to 1475.
In the 16th century, the Richerson name gained prominence through individuals like Edward Richerson (1515-1586), a politician and member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Ludlow. Additionally, there was Robert Richerson (1532-1607), a merchant and philanthropist who established a charitable foundation in the city of Bristol.
By the 17th century, the Richerson family had spread across various parts of England, with some branches adopting slight variations in the spelling of their surname, such as Richardson, Richardsonne, and Richardsoune. Notable figures from this period include John Richerson (1620-1688), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Recorder of London.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Richerson name continued to be associated with individuals from various professions, including clergymen, academics, and military personnel. Some examples are Captain William Richerson (1738-1814), an officer in the British Royal Navy, and Reverend James Richerson (1785-1862), a prominent clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Bristol.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Richerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Richerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Richerson 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 Richerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 1,494
- Black or African American15.6% · 320
- Two or more races5.3% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Richerson
Richerson 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
#12,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,368
-95 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 1,297 places
2020
#14,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,053
-315 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,087 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,671 | 2,463 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,968 | 2,368 | 0.80 | -95 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1,297 places |
| 2020 | #14,055 | 2,053 | 0.69 | -315 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 1,087 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 Richerson 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 | #12,968 | #14,055 | -8.4% |
| Count | 2,368 | 2,053 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.69 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Richerson bearers went from 2,368 to 2,053 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 1,087 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,968 to #14,055.
FAQ
Richerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Richerson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,354 living Americans carry the surname Richerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,605 residents.
How common is Richerson?
Richerson ranks #14,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,053 people with the surname Richerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Richerson.
Has Richerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Richerson went from 2,368 recorded bearers to 2,053. That is a decrease of 315 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,968 to #14,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Richerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Richerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Richerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (1,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Richerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (15.6%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Richerson (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 Richerson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who was the son of a powerful, rich, or brave man. 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 Richerson (0.69 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 Richerson?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Richerson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.