2000
#8,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,465
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Riker
An occupational surname referring to a person who operated a winch or hoist for loading and unloading ships.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,891 Americans carry the last name Riker. That puts it at #9,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,089 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riker 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
3.9K
1 in 88,089
Census rank
#9,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,393 bearers of the surname Riker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riker
The surname Riker is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "richer," meaning "judge" or "ruler." It emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, in various regions of present-day Germany.
The name is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, initially given to individuals who held judicial or administrative positions in local communities. It may have also been used to denote someone who held a position of authority or wealth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the late 15th century, in the form of "Ryker" or "Rycker," found in historical documents from the region of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This variant spelling suggests a possible connection to the town of Rike or Rike-am-Berge, located in present-day Lower Saxony.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various German church records and tax registers, such as the Kirchenbücher and Steuerlisten, often spelled as "Ricker" or "Riker." During this period, several notable individuals bore the surname, including Johann Riker (1522-1587), a Lutheran theologian and church reformer from Württemberg.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various local spellings and adaptations. For instance, in the Netherlands, the name was sometimes rendered as "Rijker" or "Rijckers," while in parts of Switzerland, it was spelled as "Rücker" or "Rüker."
Among the notable historical figures with the Riker surname are:
1. Abraham Riker (1642-1719), a Dutch-American settler and landowner in what is now New York City.
2. Richard Riker (1773-1842), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 26th Mayor of New York City from 1804 to 1807.
3. John Riker (1813-1892), a German-American engineer and industrialist, known for his contributions to the development of iron and steel manufacturing in Pennsylvania.
4. Andrew Riker (1822-1900), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg.
5. Henrietta Riker (1849-1928), an American educator and pioneer in the field of physical education for women, who founded the Riker Collegiate Institute in New York City.
While the surname Riker has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread and taken on various forms across different cultures and countries, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of families bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riker
Among Census respondents with the surname Riker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Riker 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 Riker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,121
- Two or more races3.2% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 107
- Black or African American0.9% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riker
Riker 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
#9,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,512
+47 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 540 places
2020
#9,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,393
-119 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,731 | 3,465 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,271 | 3,512 | 1.19 | +47 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 540 places |
| 2020 | #9,221 | 3,393 | 1.14 | -119 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 50 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 Riker 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 | #9,271 | #9,221 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,512 | 3,393 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.14 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riker bearers went from 3,512 to 3,393 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,271 to #9,221.
FAQ
Riker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riker?
Name Census estimates that about 3,891 living Americans carry the surname Riker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,089 residents.
How common is Riker?
Riker ranks #9,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,393 people with the surname Riker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,891), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Riker.
Has Riker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riker went from 3,512 recorded bearers to 3,393. That is a decrease of 119 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,271 to #9,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Riker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (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 Riker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (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 Riker (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 Riker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who operated a winch or hoist for loading and unloading 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 Riker (1.14 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 are called Riker?
See how many Americans have the surname Riker on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.