2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Rickord
A variant spelling of the English surname derived from the Old French "ricort," meaning a counselor or adviser.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Rickord. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rickord 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Rickord in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickord, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rickord
The surname Rickord is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the more common surname Rickards, which itself derives from the ancient Germanic name Richard. This name is composed of the elements "ric" meaning powerful or brave, and "hard" meaning hardy or strong.
The earliest recorded instances of the Rickord spelling can be found in parish records and census rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries, primarily concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Devon in southwest England. It is possible that the variant spelling arose as a result of regional accents or simple clerical errors when transcribing the more widespread Richards or Rickards names.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Rickord name was John Rickord, born around 1580 in the village of Chedworth, Gloucestershire. Records show he worked as a yeoman farmer and married Alice Wilkins in 1605. Their son, also named John Rickord, was baptized in 1609 in the same village.
Moving into the 18th century, the Rickord name began appearing in other parts of England as families migrated. Thomas Rickord, born in 1728 in Somerset, was a respected clockmaker whose intricately carved longcase clocks are now highly sought after by collectors. His grandson, William Rickord (1790-1872), continued the family trade and is noted for introducing several innovations in clock design.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold, many Rickord families relocated to the growing cities and industrial centers. One prominent bearer was Robert Rickord (1819-1899), a master builder from Birmingham responsible for constructing some of the city's earliest factories and worker housing. His son, also named Robert (1849-1923), followed in his footsteps as an architect and civil engineer.
The 19th century also saw Rickords establish themselves abroad as the British Empire expanded. Captain James Rickord (1822-1891) was an officer in the East India Company army who saw action in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After retiring, he authored a memoir recounting his experiences.
While never an extremely widespread name, the Rickord surname nevertheless maintained a steady presence across England over the centuries. Though modest in number, its bearers made important contributions across various fields and locales.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rickord
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickord, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rickord 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 Rickord surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 100
- Two or more races7.8% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rickord
Rickord 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+14 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,955 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 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 13,955 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 Rickord 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 | #145,757 | 8.7% |
| Count | 101 | 115 | 13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rickord bearers went from 101 to 115 (+13.9% change). The surname moved up 13,955 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Rickord surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rickord?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Rickord. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Rickord?
Rickord ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Rickord. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rickord.
Has Rickord become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rickord went from 101 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 14 (+13.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Rickord?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickord, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Rickord in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rickord appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (7.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Rickord (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 Rickord mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname derived from the Old French "ricort," meaning a counselor or adviser. 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 Rickord (0.04 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 have the surname Rickord?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.