Find out how popular the last name Riches is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Riches.

Riches, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Riches surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riches in America

Riches is the 25171st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riches surname appeared 985 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Riches.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riches to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Riches

The surname Riches is of English origin and is thought to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English or Anglo-Saxon words "ric" meaning rich or powerful and "æsc" meaning ash tree. Together, these words formed the place name "Ricassch" or "Riccassc", which likely referred to an area where ash trees grew abundantly on a wealthy or prominent estate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Riches can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1199, which mention a Hugo de Riches. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire in 1221, where a Robert de Riches is listed. These early records suggest that the name was well-established in the West Midlands region of England by the early 13th century.

The Riches surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a John de Riches. This record provides evidence that the name had spread to other parts of England by the late 13th century. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a William Riches, indicating that the name had evolved to its modern spelling by the 14th century.

One notable figure with the surname Riches was Sir Robert Riches, a wealthy English merchant and Lord Mayor of London who lived from around 1510 to 1579. He was appointed Sheriff of London in 1556 and served as Lord Mayor in 1567-1568. Another prominent individual was Ralph Riches, an English Puritan minister who lived from 1576 to 1619. He was a renowned preacher and author of several religious works.

In the 17th century, a John Riches was born in Worcestershire in 1624. He later emigrated to America and settled in Taunton, Massachusetts, where he became one of the first settlers of the town. His descendants went on to spread the Riches name throughout the United States.

Other notable individuals with the surname Riches include Sir Thomas Riches (1685-1762), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Wallingford, and Naomi Riches (1789-1847), an English writer and poet who published several works in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riches

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Riches.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Riches was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Riches has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Riches was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Riches, please contact us.

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