Find out how popular the last name Ridgely is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ridgely.

Ridgely, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ridgely surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ridgely in America

Ridgely is the 24339th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ridgely surname appeared 1,030 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ridgely.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ridgely to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ridgely

The surname Ridgely is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name such as Ridge or Ridgeley. These place names likely referred to areas of high ground or ridges, indicating that the original bearers of the name lived near or on such a geographic feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William de Rugeley. This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been derived from the village of Ridgeley in Staffordshire.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as Riggelay, Rugeley, and Rygeley. This highlights the inconsistent nature of surname spellings during that time period.

A notable figure bearing the name was Sir Thomas Ridgeley (c.1565-1631), an English courtier and politician who served as Treasurer of the Navy under King James I.

During the 17th century, members of the Ridgely family were among the early settlers in the British colonies of North America. One of the first was Henry Ridgely (c.1610-1680), who arrived in Maryland in 1634 and became a prominent landowner and member of the colonial assembly.

Another prominent individual was Charles Ridgely (1702-1786), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from Annapolis, Maryland. He was a member of the colonial legislature and served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776.

In the 19th century, John Ridgely (1784-1867) was a successful businessman and banker in Baltimore, Maryland. He was involved in the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and served as its president for several years.

The surname Ridgely also has connections to the American Civil War. Randolph Ridgely (1834-1889) was a Union Army officer who achieved the rank of Brevet Major General and received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

Throughout its history, the Ridgely surname has been associated with various locations in England and the United States, reflecting the geographic origins and migrations of its bearers over several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ridgely

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ridgely.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ridgely was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ridgely has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ridgely was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ridgely, please contact us.

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