2000
#4,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,942
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.57
Rare Last name
Ridge
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a long, narrow elevated section of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,656 Americans carry the last name Ridge. That puts it at #5,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,769 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ridge 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 Ridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,769
Census rank
#5,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,676 bearers of the surname Ridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ridge
The surname Ridge originated in England and has its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English word 'hrycg,' meaning 'ridge' or 'hill,' and would have initially been used as a topographic surname to describe someone who lived near a prominent ridge or hill.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Ridge can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'de la Rigge.' This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.
Over time, the surname evolved into various spellings, such as Rigge, Rygge, and eventually Ridge. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling at the time, and regional dialects played a role in how the name was recorded.
One notable early bearer of the surname was Sir John Ridge, a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the late 14th century. Another prominent individual was William Ridge, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1480.
In the 16th century, the Ridge family had a strong presence in the county of Dorset, where they held lands and estates. Thomas Ridge, born in 1583, was a notable figure from this branch of the family, serving as a Member of Parliament for Dorset during the English Civil War.
The surname also has ties to various place names, such as Ridge Hill in Hertfordshire and Ridge Farm in Shropshire. These locations likely derived their names from the topographic features associated with the word 'ridge,' further solidifying the connection between the surname and its geographic origins.
As the centuries progressed, the Ridge surname spread across England and beyond. Prominent individuals bearing the name include Sir John Ridge (1763-1831), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Thomas Ridge (1821-1868), an American politician and lawyer who served as the governor of Pennsylvania.
William Pett Ridge (1859-1930) was a notable English novelist and author of numerous works, including the popular novel "Mrs. Galer's Business." Another notable figure was Claude Ridges (1888-1962), a British actor and film director who appeared in several silent films and early "talkies" in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ridge 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 Ridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 5,547
- Black or African American7.1% · 471
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 268
- Two or more races4.0% · 264
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ridge
Ridge 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
#4,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,133
+191 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 264 places
2020
#5,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,676
-457 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,672 | 6,942 | 2.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,936 | 7,133 | 2.42 | +191 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 264 places |
| 2020 | #5,089 | 6,676 | 2.23 | -457 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 153 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 Ridge 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 | #4,936 | #5,089 | -3.1% |
| Count | 7,133 | 6,676 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.42 | 2.23 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ridge bearers went from 7,133 to 6,676 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,936 to #5,089.
FAQ
Ridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ridge?
Name Census estimates that about 7,656 living Americans carry the surname Ridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,769 residents.
How common is Ridge?
Ridge ranks #5,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,676 people with the surname Ridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ridge.
Has Ridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ridge went from 7,133 recorded bearers to 6,676. That is a decrease of 457 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,936 to #5,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Ridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Ridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (5,547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Ridge (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 Ridge mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a long, narrow elevated section of 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 Ridge (2.23 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 common is the surname Ridge?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Ridge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.