2000
#15,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,712
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Riggin
A surname derived from the word "rigger", referring to one who rigs sails and rigging on ships.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,797 Americans carry the last name Riggin. That puts it at #17,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 190,737 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riggin 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
1.8K
1 in 190,737
Census rank
#17,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,567 bearers of the surname Riggin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riggin
The surname Riggin has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "rigging," which referred to a ridge or hill. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived in or near a ridge or hilly area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a Robert de Rigginge is mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already established in the region during the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Riggin, Rygyn, and Ryggyn, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a John de Rygyn in Oxfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a William Ryggyn in Cambridgeshire.
The Riggin surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Riggindale in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Riggan in Lancashire. These locations may have influenced the surname's development or provided a geographical link for some families bearing the name.
Notable historical figures with the surname Riggin include:
1. John Riggin (c. 1560-1630), an English clergyman and writer from Lincolnshire.
2. Thomas Riggin (1634-1698), an English merchant and landowner from Norfolk.
3. Elizabeth Riggin (1688-1765), an English diarist and author from Hertfordshire.
4. William Riggin (1721-1789), a British army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
5. James Riggin (1803-1872), an English politician and member of parliament for Lancashire.
While the surname Riggin is not among the most common in modern times, its historical roots and connections to various regions of England provide insights into the lives and backgrounds of those who bore this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riggin
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Riggin 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 Riggin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 1,367
- Two or more races4.7% · 73
- Black or African American3.2% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riggin
Riggin 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
#15,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,815
+103 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#17,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,567
-248 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,670 | 1,712 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,995 | 1,815 | 0.62 | +103 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #17,611 | 1,567 | 0.52 | -248 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 1,616 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 Riggin 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 | #15,995 | #17,611 | -10.1% |
| Count | 1,815 | 1,567 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.52 | -15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riggin bearers went from 1,815 to 1,567 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,995 to #17,611.
FAQ
Riggin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riggin?
Name Census estimates that about 1,797 living Americans carry the surname Riggin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 190,737 residents.
How common is Riggin?
Riggin ranks #17,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,567 people with the surname Riggin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,797), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Riggin.
Has Riggin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riggin went from 1,815 recorded bearers to 1,567. That is a decrease of 248 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,995 to #17,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Riggin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Riggin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (1,367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riggin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Black (3.2%). 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 Riggin (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 Riggin mean?
A surname derived from the word "rigger", referring to one who rigs sails and rigging on ships. 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 Riggin (0.52 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 share the surname Riggin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.