2000
#14,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Ridgley
From an English place name meaning "reed-covered clearing," or from a location near a ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,140 Americans carry the last name Ridgley. That puts it at #15,162 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ridgley 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 Ridgley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,166
Census rank
#15,162
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,866 bearers of the surname Ridgley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15162nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridgley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ridgley
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridgley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ridgley 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 Ridgley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.9% · 1,397
- Black or African American17.0% · 318
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 70
- Two or more races2.9% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ridgley
Ridgley 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
#14,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,074
+150 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 126 places
2020
#15,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
-208 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,283 | 1,924 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,409 | 2,074 | 0.70 | +150 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 126 places |
| 2020 | #15,162 | 1,866 | 0.62 | -208 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 753 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 Ridgley 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 | #14,409 | #15,162 | -5.2% |
| Count | 2,074 | 1,866 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.62 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ridgley bearers went from 2,074 to 1,866 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 753 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,409 to #15,162.
FAQ
Ridgley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ridgley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,140 living Americans carry the surname Ridgley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,166 residents.
How common is Ridgley?
Ridgley ranks #15,162 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,866 people with the surname Ridgley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ridgley.
Has Ridgley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ridgley went from 2,074 recorded bearers to 1,866. That is a decrease of 208 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,409 to #15,162.
What does the Census say about the background of Ridgley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridgley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Ridgley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.9% (1,397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ridgley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.9%), Black (17.0%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Ridgley (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 Ridgley mean?
From an English place name meaning "reed-covered clearing," or from a location near a ridge. 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 Ridgley (0.62 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 have the surname Ridgley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.