2000
#3,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,767
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.25
Rare Last name
Ricker
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of stacks of hay or straw.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,385 Americans carry the last name Ricker. That puts it at #4,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,522 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ricker 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
9.4K
1 in 36,522
Census rank
#4,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,184 bearers of the surname Ricker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ricker
The surname Ricker is of German origin, derived from the occupational name for a person who made ricks or haystacks. It is believed to have originated in the 14th or 15th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
The name is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "ricken," meaning "to pile up" or "to stack." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the surname were likely farmers or agricultural workers involved in the task of stacking hay or grain into ricks for storage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ricker can be found in the German book of family names known as the "Bairisches Geschlechterbuch," which dates back to the 16th century. The name is also mentioned in various local records and church registers from the 16th and 17th centuries in regions such as Saxony and Thuringia.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Ricker throughout history is Johann Ricker (1489-1562), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Johann Peter Ricker (1730-1804), a German artist and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works.
In the 18th century, the Ricker family established a presence in North America, with some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appearing in Pennsylvania and New York. One notable member of this branch was David Ricker (1788-1867), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ricker include Nathaniel Ricker (1736-1822), an American soldier and farmer who served in the Revolutionary War, and John Ricker (1825-1898), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
While the surname Ricker may have evolved over time and taken on different spellings or variations in different regions, its roots can be traced back to the occupational name for haystack makers in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ricker
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ricker 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 Ricker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 7,490
- Two or more races3.1% · 256
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 241
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 95
- Black or African American0.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ricker
Ricker 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
#4,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,850
+83 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Down 303 places
2020
#4,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,184
-666 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,713 | 8,767 | 3.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,016 | 8,850 | 3.00 | +83 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 303 places |
| 2020 | #4,190 | 8,184 | 2.74 | -666 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 174 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 Ricker 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 | #4,016 | #4,190 | -4.3% |
| Count | 8,850 | 8,184 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.00 | 2.74 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ricker bearers went from 8,850 to 8,184 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,016 to #4,190.
FAQ
Ricker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ricker?
Name Census estimates that about 9,385 living Americans carry the surname Ricker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,522 residents.
How common is Ricker?
Ricker ranks #4,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,184 people with the surname Ricker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ricker.
Has Ricker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ricker went from 8,850 recorded bearers to 8,184. That is a decrease of 666 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,016 to #4,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Ricker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ricker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) 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 Ricker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (7,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ricker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), 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 Ricker (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 Ricker mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of stacks of hay or straw. 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 Ricker (2.74 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 Ricker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.