2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rigterink
A Dutch surname derived from the words "richter" meaning judge and "ink" as a diminutive suffix.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Rigterink. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rigterink 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Rigterink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigterink, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rigterink
The surname Rigterink has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "richtere" meaning "judge" and "ink," an old Dutch suffix indicating location or origin. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near the residence of a judge or was associated with the judicial system in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch municipal archives from the city of Utrecht, where a certain Gerrit Rigterink was mentioned in a document dated 1582. This provides evidence of the surname's existence during the Renaissance period in the Low Countries.
The Rigterink name is also linked to several place names in the Netherlands, such as Richterskamp and Richtershuizen, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time. It is possible that some early bearers of the name took their surname from these locations.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Pieter Rigterink (1620-1688) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Leeuwarden, Friesland. His legacy and business dealings likely contributed to the spread and recognition of the Rigterink name during that era.
Another historical figure with this surname was Jan Rigterink (1785-1862), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Dutch States General (parliament) in the early 19th century, representing the province of Overijssel.
During the 19th century, a family by the name of Rigterink played a significant role in the development of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Dirk Rigterink (1818-1892) was a successful plantation owner and influential figure in the region, while his son, Willem Rigterink (1847-1926), continued the family's legacy as a prominent businessman and landowner.
In more recent times, the name Rigterink has been associated with notable individuals such as Klaas Rigterink (1908-1980), a Dutch theologian and professor at the Free University of Amsterdam, and Henk Rigterink (born 1945), a former professional cyclist from the Netherlands who competed in several Tour de France events in the 1960s and 1970s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rigterink
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigterink, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rigterink 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 Rigterink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rigterink
Rigterink 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,603 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 16,603 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Rigterink 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rigterink bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Rigterink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rigterink?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Rigterink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Rigterink?
Rigterink ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Rigterink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Rigterink.
Has Rigterink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rigterink went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Rigterink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigterink, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Rigterink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rigterink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Rigterink (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 Rigterink mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the words "richter" meaning judge and "ink" as a diminutive suffix. 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 Rigterink (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 people have the last name Rigterink?
Want to know how many people have the last name Rigterink? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.