2000
#2,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.22
Uncommon Last name
Riggins
Derived from a place name meaning "a settlement near a ridge" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,202 Americans carry the last name Riggins. That puts it at #3,046 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,962 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riggins 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
13K
1 in 25,962
Census rank
#3,046
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,513 bearers of the surname Riggins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3046th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.6%. The next largest groups are Black (41.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riggins
The surname Riggins originated in England and dates back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hrycg" meaning "ridge" and "ing" meaning "meadow" or "settlement." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rigingis." This version of the name is thought to have evolved from the Old English "Hrycgingas," meaning "the people of the ridge."
In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Riggens" or "Riggons." During this time, many people with the surname Riggins were found in the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire.
Notable individuals with the surname Riggins include:
1. Sir John Riggins (1565-1639), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire.
2. William Riggins (1670-1745), an English painter known for his portraits and landscapes.
3. Mary Riggins (1720-1805), a British author and poet who published several collections of poetry.
4. Richard Riggins (1792-1860), an English explorer who led expeditions to the Arctic regions.
5. James Riggins (1835-1912), an American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Savannah, Georgia.
The name Riggins has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Riggindale in Yorkshire and Riggins Moor in Staffordshire. These locations likely derived their names from the same Old English roots as the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riggins
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.6%. The next largest groups are Black (41.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Riggins 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 Riggins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.6% · 5,710
- Black or African American41.5% · 4,776
- Two or more races4.3% · 496
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 415
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riggins
Riggins 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
#2,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,218
+833 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 4.14
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#3,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,513
-705 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,892 | 11,385 | 4.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,934 | 12,218 | 4.14 | +833 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #3,046 | 11,513 | 3.85 | -705 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 112 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 Riggins 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 | #2,934 | #3,046 | -3.8% |
| Count | 12,218 | 11,513 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.14 | 3.85 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riggins bearers went from 12,218 to 11,513 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,934 to #3,046.
FAQ
Riggins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riggins?
Name Census estimates that about 13,202 living Americans carry the surname Riggins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,962 residents.
How common is Riggins?
Riggins ranks #3,046 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,513 people with the surname Riggins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Riggins.
Has Riggins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riggins went from 12,218 recorded bearers to 11,513. That is a decrease of 705 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,934 to #3,046.
What does the Census say about the background of Riggins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.6%. The next largest groups are Black (41.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Riggins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.6% (5,710 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riggins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.6%), Black (41.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Riggins (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 Riggins mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "a settlement near a ridge" in Old English. 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 Riggins (3.85 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 Riggins?
Find out how many people have the surname Riggins on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.