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

Ridgley, 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 Ridgley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ridgley in America

Ridgley is the 14409th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ridgley surname appeared 2,074 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ridgley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ridgley 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 Ridgley

The surname Ridgley originated in England, likely arising during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, potentially referring to someone who resided near a ridge or ridgeline. The earliest forms of the surname were Rigeley, Riggeley, and Riggley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ridgley surname appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert de Rugeley from Staffordshire. This suggests the name may have originated from the village of Ridgeley, located in that county.

In the 14th century, the surname is found in various manorial records and tax rolls. For example, a William Ridgeley is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Around this time, the spelling of the name began to solidify into its modern form of Ridgley.

During the 16th century, the Ridgley name appeared in several notable records. Thomas Ridgley (1667-1734) was an English dissenting minister and tutor who wrote extensively on theological subjects. Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Ridgley (1565-1624), an English nobleman and member of parliament for Wiltshire.

In the 17th century, the Ridgley surname was found across various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Reverend Thomas Ridgley (1667-1734), a prominent dissenting minister and tutor, was born in Wiltshire during this period.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals bore the Ridgley surname. These include Samuel Ridgley (1750-1824), an English businessman and banker, and William Ridgley (1765-1837), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.

While the Ridgley surname has ancient English origins, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the earliest recorded instances and the majority of historical references remain rooted in various regions of England, particularly the Midlands and the West Country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ridgley

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

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 Ridgley 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 Ridgley 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 Ridgley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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