2000
#5,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Ridgway
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a ridge or road on a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,104 Americans carry the last name Ridgway. That puts it at #6,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ridgway 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 Ridgway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,152
Census rank
#6,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,323 bearers of the surname Ridgway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridgway, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ridgway
The surname Ridgway is of English origin, derived from a place name referring to a ridge or track along a high ground. This topographical name emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th century, as the practice of adopting hereditary surnames became more widespread in England.
The earliest recorded instances of the Ridgway surname can be found in various medieval documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, which mentions William de Rughweye, and the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1301, listing a Thomas de Ruggeway. These early spellings, including Rughweye, Ruggeway, and Ruggewey, reflect the evolution of the name from its Old English roots.
One notable historical figure bearing the Ridgway surname was Sir Thomas Ridgway (c. 1565-1624), an English politician and landowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1612. He was knighted by King James I in 1603 and played a significant role in the governance of the City of London during his tenure.
Another prominent individual was Robert Ridgway (1808-1857), an American ornithologist and curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He made significant contributions to the study of birds, particularly through his work on the "Ornithology of North America" series, published between 1887 and 1919.
In the 18th century, John Ridgway (1730-1803) was a renowned English potter and entrepreneur who founded the Ridgway Pottery in Staffordshire, England. His company became renowned for producing high-quality ceramics and contributed to the growth of the pottery industry in the region.
The Ridgway name also appears in historical records related to the American Revolutionary War. Matthew Ridgway (1720-1795) was a soldier and statesman from Maryland who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as a member of the Maryland Senate.
Another notable figure was Matthew Bunker Ridgway (1895-1993), a highly decorated American military officer who served during World War II and the Korean War. He was awarded numerous honors, including the Distinguished Service Cross and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his leadership and strategic brilliance.
The Ridgway surname has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Ridgeway in Derbyshire, Ridgeway Hill in Staffordshire, and Ridgeway Lane in Essex, among others. These place names likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname across different regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ridgway
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridgway, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ridgway 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 Ridgway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 4,719
- Two or more races3.9% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 177
- Black or African American2.3% · 120
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ridgway
Ridgway 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
#6,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,429
+80 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#6,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,323
-106 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,924 | 5,349 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,291 | 5,429 | 1.84 | +80 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #6,168 | 5,323 | 1.78 | -106 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 123 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 Ridgway 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 | #6,291 | #6,168 | 2.0% |
| Count | 5,429 | 5,323 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.78 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ridgway bearers went from 5,429 to 5,323 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,291 to #6,168.
FAQ
Ridgway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ridgway?
Name Census estimates that about 6,104 living Americans carry the surname Ridgway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,152 residents.
How common is Ridgway?
Ridgway ranks #6,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 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 5,323 people with the surname Ridgway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 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 Ridgway.
Has Ridgway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ridgway went from 5,429 recorded bearers to 5,323. That is a decrease of 106 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,291 to #6,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Ridgway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridgway, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Ridgway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (4,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ridgway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Ridgway (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 Ridgway mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a ridge or road on a hill. 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 Ridgway (1.78 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 Ridgway?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Ridgway at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.