2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Richline
A combination surname derived from "rich" and "line", possibly indicating wealth or lineage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Richline. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Richline 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Richline in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Richline, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.4%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Richline
The surname RICHLINE is believed to have originated in Germany in the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German words "reich" meaning rich or wealthy, and "linie" meaning line or lineage. This suggests the name may have been given to someone who was part of a wealthy or prominent family line.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RICHLINE surname can be found in a Bavarian census record from 1586, listing a family by the name of Richliner residing in the town of Regensburg. This spelling variation likely evolved into the modern RICHLINE over time.
During the 17th century, there are references to a RICHLINE family having land holdings near the city of Nuremberg. A deed dated 1632 mentions a Johannes RICHLINE as the owner of a parcel of farmland in the village of Erlangen.
In 1708, the birth of a son named Wilhelm RICHLINE to parents Hans and Greta RICHLINE was recorded in the church registry of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This Wilhelm later became a noted artisan and clockmaker in the region.
Moving into the 19th century, records show a Professor Theodor RICHLINE (1822-1897) who taught philosophy at the University of Leipzig and published several scholarly works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another noteworthy individual with this surname was the explorer and naturalist Karl RICHLINE (1844-1923). He embarked on several expeditions to South America and the Amazon rainforest, documenting many new plant and animal species during his travels.
The RICHLINE name continued to be found throughout Germany, with individuals like the poet Elise RICHLINE (1867-1943) and the industrialist Heinrich RICHLINE (1879-1956), who founded a successful machinery manufacturing company in Berlin.
Over time, the RICHLINE surname spread to other parts of Europe and eventually to other continents as well, carried by emigrants seeking new opportunities abroad. However, its roots can be traced back to the wealthy lineages and prominent families of 16th century Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Richline
Among Census respondents with the surname Richline, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.4%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Richline 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 Richline surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 72
- Two or more races14.4% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 5
- Black or African American4.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Richline
Richline 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,166 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-11 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,917 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 20,166 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 4,917 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 Richline 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 | #151,532 | #156,449 | -3.2% |
| Count | 108 | 97 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Richline bearers went from 108 to 97 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 4,917 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #156,449.
FAQ
Richline surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Richline?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Richline. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Richline?
Richline ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Richline. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Richline.
Has Richline become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Richline went from 108 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 11 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Richline?
Among Census respondents with the surname Richline, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.4%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Richline in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Richline appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Two or More Races (14.4%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Richline (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 Richline mean?
A combination surname derived from "rich" and "line", possibly indicating wealth or lineage. 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 Richline (0.03 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 share the surname Richline?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.