2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Rickell
Of English origin meaning "rich" or "powerful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Rickell. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rickell 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 Rickell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Rickell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rickell
The surname Rickell is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "ric" meaning wealthy or powerful, and "hill" referring to a hill or elevated location. Thus, the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on or near a wealthy or prominent hill.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the Rickell name can be found in medieval tax rolls and parish records from counties such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. For example, a John Rickell is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297. There are also references to a Richard Rickell in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1332.
While the Rickell surname does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several similar spellings found, such as Richill and Rikehil, suggesting the name's origins may date back even further. It is likely that the spelling Rickell emerged as a variation during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Rickell surname was Sir John Rickell, a landowner and member of the gentry class in Yorkshire, who lived from around 1410 to 1478. Another was William Rickell, a merchant and alderman in the city of London, born in 1524 and died in 1598.
Other historical figures bearing the Rickell name include Thomas Rickell, a Protestant clergyman and author who lived from 1642 to 1718, and Josiah Rickell, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War in the late 18th century. Additionally, there was a Robert Rickell, a notable painter and artist from the 19th century, born in 1821 and died in 1898.
While the origins and early history of the Rickell surname can be traced back several centuries in England, it has since spread and can be found among various communities and families around the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rickell
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rickell 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 Rickell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 90
- Two or more races7.7% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rickell
Rickell appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Rickell 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 | #159,712 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rickell bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Rickell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rickell?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Rickell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Rickell?
Rickell ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Rickell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Rickell.
Has Rickell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rickell went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Rickell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Rickell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rickell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (7.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Rickell (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 Rickell mean?
Of English origin meaning "rich" or "powerful". 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 Rickell (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 Americans have the surname Rickell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.