2000
#3,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.02
Rare Last name
Ridenour
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a clearing or near cleared land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,213 Americans carry the last name Ridenour. That puts it at #4,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,203 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ridenour 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
9.2K
1 in 37,203
Census rank
#4,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,034 bearers of the surname Ridenour in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridenour, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ridenour
The surname RIDENOUR has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the old German word "reitener," which translates to "rider" or "equestrian." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with horses, such as a stable hand or a mounted soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RIDENOUR surname can be found in the archives of the city of Cologne, where a certain Johannes Ridenour was listed as a resident in the year 1482. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the RIDENOUR family appeared to have spread across various regions of Germany, with records indicating their presence in cities like Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Hamburg. It is possible that some members of the family may have also migrated to neighboring countries, such as the Netherlands or Switzerland.
A notable historical figure bearing the RIDENOUR surname was Hanns Ridenour, a German clockmaker who lived in the city of Augsburg during the late 16th century. He is credited with creating some of the earliest mechanical clocks with intricate mechanisms, and his work was highly regarded throughout Europe.
In the 18th century, several RIDENOUR families were recorded as having settled in the American colonies, likely as part of the broader German immigration to North America during that period. One such example is Johann Ridenour, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 and later fought in the Revolutionary War.
Another notable individual with the RIDENOUR surname was Sarah Ridenour, an American pioneer who was born in 1792 in Virginia. She and her husband, William Ridenour, were among the early settlers of Ohio, establishing a homestead in what is now Fairfield County.
As the RIDENOUR family continued to spread across various parts of the United States and Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, with forms like REIDENAUER and REIDENOUR appearing in some records.
Overall, the surname RIDENOUR has a rich history that can be traced back to its German origins, with various branches of the family leaving their mark across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ridenour
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridenour, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ridenour 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 Ridenour surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 7,281
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 313
- Two or more races3.5% · 280
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 68
- Black or African American0.7% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ridenour
Ridenour 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
#4,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,130
-29 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#4,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,034
-96 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Up 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,997 | 8,159 | 3.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,373 | 8,130 | 2.76 | -29 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #4,268 | 8,034 | 2.69 | -96 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 105 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 Ridenour 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 | #4,373 | #4,268 | 2.4% |
| Count | 8,130 | 8,034 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.69 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ridenour bearers went from 8,130 to 8,034 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,373 to #4,268.
FAQ
Ridenour surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ridenour?
Name Census estimates that about 9,213 living Americans carry the surname Ridenour. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,203 residents.
How common is Ridenour?
Ridenour ranks #4,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.69 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 8,034 people with the surname Ridenour. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.69 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 Ridenour.
Has Ridenour become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ridenour went from 8,130 recorded bearers to 8,034. That is a decrease of 96 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,373 to #4,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Ridenour?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridenour, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Ridenour in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (7,281 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ridenour appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Ridenour (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 Ridenour mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a clearing or near cleared land. 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 Ridenour (2.69 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 Ridenour?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.