2000
#5,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,400
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Rife
An occupational surname for someone who played the fife, a small flute-like instrument.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,223 Americans carry the last name Rife. That puts it at #5,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,453 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rife 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.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,453
Census rank
#5,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,299 bearers of the surname Rife in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rife, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rife
The surname RIFE has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "ryf" or "rif," meaning "abundant" or "plentiful." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a fertile or prosperous region.
One of the earliest known references to the RIFE surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a "Richard le Ryf." The Hundred Rolls were a series of administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Rif," "Riff," and "Ryffe," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 recorded a "Johannes Ryffe," while the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 listed a "Willelmus Riffe."
The RIFE surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in southwestern England. Some early examples include John Rife, born in Wiltshire around 1520, and William Rife, born in Somerset in 1587.
One notable historical figure with the RIFE surname was Sir John Rife (1572-1637), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Wiltshire. He served as a Justice of the Peace and was knighted by King James I in 1618.
Another individual of note was Robert Rife (1645-1720), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England. He played a significant role in the city's trade with the American colonies during the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the RIFE surname appeared in various parish records across southern England, such as the baptismal record of Mary Rife in Wiltshire in 1732 and the marriage of Thomas Rife and Elizabeth Harding in Somerset in 1769.
Moving into the 19th century, the RIFE surname continued to be found in various records, including the birth of William Rife in Gloucestershire in 1824 and the marriage of John Rife and Sarah Wilkins in Somerset in 1841.
Throughout its history, the RIFE surname has been associated with several place names, such as Rife Farm in Somerset and Rife Hill in Wiltshire, further cementing its connection to the landscape and geography of southwestern England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rife
Among Census respondents with the surname Rife, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rife 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 Rife surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 5,670
- Two or more races4.2% · 262
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 153
- Black or African American2.3% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rife
Rife 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
#5,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,620
+220 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 237 places
2020
#5,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,299
-321 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,031 | 6,400 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,268 | 6,620 | 2.24 | +220 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 237 places |
| 2020 | #5,341 | 6,299 | 2.11 | -321 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 73 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 Rife 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 | #5,268 | #5,341 | -1.4% |
| Count | 6,620 | 6,299 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.24 | 2.11 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rife bearers went from 6,620 to 6,299 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,268 to #5,341.
FAQ
Rife surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rife?
Name Census estimates that about 7,223 living Americans carry the surname Rife. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,453 residents.
How common is Rife?
Rife ranks #5,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,299 people with the surname Rife. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,223), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Rife.
Has Rife become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rife went from 6,620 recorded bearers to 6,299. That is a decrease of 321 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,268 to #5,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Rife?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rife, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Rife in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (5,670 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rife appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Rife (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 Rife mean?
An occupational surname for someone who played the fife, a small flute-like instrument. 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 Rife (2.11 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 Americans have the surname Rife?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.