2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rigger
An occupational surname referring to one who rigged ships or equipment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Rigger. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rigger 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Rigger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rigger
The surname Rigger is an English occupational name derived from the Middle English word 'rigger', meaning someone who rigs or assembles and operates the rigging of ships. The name originated in coastal regions of England where shipbuilding and sailing were prevalent industries.
Rigger is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late 13th century or early 14th century, as the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in medieval England. One of the earliest known references to the surname Rigger is found in the Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester, Essex, from the year 1348, which mentions a John Rigger.
In the 15th century, the surname Rigger appears in various historical records across England, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1428, which list a John Rigger from Lincolnshire. The Hearth Tax Returns of 1664 also include several individuals with the surname Rigger residing in different parts of the country.
Notable individuals with the surname Rigger throughout history include William Rigger (c.1550-1625), an English shipwright and naval architect who worked on several ships for the Royal Navy during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was John Rigger (1678-1743), a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade with the American colonies.
In the 18th century, the surname Rigger can be found in various parish records and legal documents across England. For instance, the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Whitby, Yorkshire, include entries for children of families with the surname Rigger in the 1730s.
Other individuals of note include Thomas Rigger (1792-1864), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a successful shipbuilder in Sunderland. Additionally, Edward Rigger (1835-1912) was a renowned shipbuilder and engineer from Newcastle upon Tyne, whose company constructed several notable vessels in the late 19th century.
The surname Rigger has also been associated with certain place names in England, such as Rigger's Green in Hertfordshire and Rigger's Cove in Cornwall, which may have derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rigger
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rigger 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 Rigger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 8
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rigger
Rigger 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,470 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,470 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 5,086 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 Rigger 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 | #147,253 | #152,339 | -3.5% |
| Count | 112 | 106 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rigger bearers went from 112 to 106 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 5,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,339.
FAQ
Rigger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rigger?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Rigger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Rigger?
Rigger ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Rigger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rigger.
Has Rigger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rigger went from 112 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Rigger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Rigger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rigger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Rigger (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 Rigger mean?
An occupational surname referring to one who rigged ships or equipment. 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 Rigger (0.04 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 Rigger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.