2000
#4,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,876
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Riddick
Derived from the Old English surname Ryddek, likely referring to someone who lived near a clearing or rid.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,041 Americans carry the last name Riddick. That puts it at #4,351 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,911 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riddick 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 Riddick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 37,911
Census rank
#4,351
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,884 bearers of the surname Riddick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4351st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riddick, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.7%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riddick
The surname RIDDICK has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "ridding," which referred to a clearing or meadow within a forest. This suggests that the name may have originally been a locational surname given to someone who lived near or owned such a clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RIDDICK can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and their holdings in England after the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Riddinc," likely referring to a person residing in a forest clearing.
In the 13th century, the surname RIDDICK began appearing in various historical records across England and Scotland. For instance, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a Robert de Ryddyng in Oxfordshire, while the Ragman Rolls of 1296 list a William Rydding from Berwickshire, Scotland.
As the name spread across the British Isles, it underwent several spelling variations, such as Riddick, Reddick, Reddicks, Reddikes, and Reddikes. These variations often reflected regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname RIDDICK was Sir John Riddick (c. 1530-1592), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Northumberland. Another was Robert Riddick (1608-1670), an English colonist who settled in Virginia and served as a member of the House of Burgesses.
In Scotland, the name RIDDICK can be traced back to the 14th century, with records mentioning a John de Ryddyng in Lanarkshire in 1357. Later, in the 16th century, a prominent Scottish family bearing the name RIDDICK emerged in Aberdeenshire, with members such as William Riddick (1565-1632), a landowner and local official.
Other individuals of note with the surname RIDDICK include James Riddick (1736-1801), an American planter and politician from North Carolina, and Nathaniel Riddick (1790-1865), a U.S. Congressman from Virginia.
While the RIDDICK name has been present throughout history, its origins can be traced back to the forested landscapes of medieval England and Scotland, where it likely referred to those who lived in or near clearings within the woodlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riddick
Among Census respondents with the surname Riddick, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.7%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Riddick 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 Riddick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.7% · 5,180
- White24.7% · 1,949
- Two or more races5.3% · 414
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 275
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riddick
Riddick 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
#4,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,464
+588 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#4,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,884
-580 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,172 | 7,876 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,187 | 8,464 | 2.87 | +588 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #4,351 | 7,884 | 2.64 | -580 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 164 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 Riddick 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 | #4,187 | #4,351 | -3.9% |
| Count | 8,464 | 7,884 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.87 | 2.64 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riddick bearers went from 8,464 to 7,884 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 164 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,187 to #4,351.
FAQ
Riddick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riddick?
Name Census estimates that about 9,041 living Americans carry the surname Riddick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,911 residents.
How common is Riddick?
Riddick ranks #4,351 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.64 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 7,884 people with the surname Riddick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.64 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 Riddick.
Has Riddick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riddick went from 8,464 recorded bearers to 7,884. That is a decrease of 580 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,187 to #4,351.
What does the Census say about the background of Riddick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riddick, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.7%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Riddick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.7% (5,180 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riddick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (65.7%), White (24.7%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Riddick (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 Riddick mean?
Derived from the Old English surname Ryddek, likely referring to someone who lived near a clearing or rid. 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 Riddick (2.64 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 Riddick?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.