2000
#7,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,918
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Riggle
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of belts, harnesses, or saddlery, derived from Middle English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,141 Americans carry the last name Riggle. That puts it at #8,719 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,771 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riggle 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
4.1K
1 in 82,771
Census rank
#8,719
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,611 bearers of the surname Riggle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8719th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riggle
The surname Riggle originates from England and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "rigg," meaning a ridge or a back, indicating that it was likely an occupational name for someone who lived or worked on a ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, where a John Riggle was listed as having been baptized in 1587. This suggests that the name was already established in this region by the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the Riggle surname appeared in various records across England, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1664, where a Thomas Riggle was listed as a resident of Wiltshire. The name is also found in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which recorded those who pledged allegiance to the Protestant faith during the English Civil War.
During the 18th century, the Riggle family had established a presence in counties such as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire. One notable individual from this period was William Riggle (1695-1768), a businessman and landowner from Gloucestershire, whose will and estate records provide valuable insight into the family's holdings at the time.
As the centuries progressed, the Riggle surname continued to spread across England, with some members of the family migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. In the 19th century, a branch of the Riggle family settled in Ireland, where they became prominent landowners in County Tipperary.
Among the notable individuals with the Riggle surname throughout history are:
1. Sir John Riggle (1812-1897), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and received the Victoria Cross for his bravery.
2. Elizabeth Riggle (1842-1923), an English author and philanthropist known for her work in promoting education for women.
3. Henry Riggle (1867-1944), an American industrialist who founded the Riggle Manufacturing Company, a successful machinery business.
4. Sarah Riggle (1902-1988), a British archaeologist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Egyptian artifacts.
5. Robert Riggle (1920-2002), an acclaimed American novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of identity and belonging.
While the Riggle surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by families who have made their mark in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riggle
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Riggle 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 Riggle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,339
- Two or more races3.4% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riggle
Riggle 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
#8,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,047
+129 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 364 places
2020
#8,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,611
-436 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 518 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,837 | 3,918 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,201 | 4,047 | 1.37 | +129 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 364 places |
| 2020 | #8,719 | 3,611 | 1.21 | -436 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 518 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 Riggle 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 | #8,201 | #8,719 | -6.3% |
| Count | 4,047 | 3,611 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.21 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riggle bearers went from 4,047 to 3,611 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 518 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,201 to #8,719.
FAQ
Riggle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riggle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,141 living Americans carry the surname Riggle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,771 residents.
How common is Riggle?
Riggle ranks #8,719 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,611 people with the surname Riggle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Riggle.
Has Riggle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riggle went from 4,047 recorded bearers to 3,611. That is a decrease of 436 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,201 to #8,719.
What does the Census say about the background of Riggle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riggle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Riggle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,339 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riggle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Riggle (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 Riggle mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of belts, harnesses, or saddlery, derived from Middle 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 Riggle (1.21 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 Riggle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.