Find out how popular the last name Ripley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ripley.

Ripley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ripley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ripley in America

Ripley is the 3799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ripley surname appeared 9,314 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Ripley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ripley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ripley

The surname Ripley is derived from the Old English words "rip" meaning "strip of land" and "leah" meaning "wood" or "clearing." It originated in England, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire, where place names such as Ripley existed as early as the 11th century.

The name Ripley first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname was "de Ripeleia," referring to someone from the village of Ripley.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hugh de Ripeleia, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Ripley, a 15th-century alchemist and philosopher who wrote several treatises on the subject of alchemy.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Ripley spread across England, and several notable individuals emerged. George Ripley (1415-1490) was a renowned English alchemist and Augustinian canon. Clement Ripley (1570-1619) was an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of Woodstock.

In the 18th century, John Ripley (1697-1758) was a renowned English playwright and author, best known for his comedies "The Modish Husband" and "The Lancashire Witches." Another notable figure was Eleazar Wheelock Ripley (1782-1839), an American Army officer and politician who served as a Brigadier General during the War of 1812.

In the 19th century, George Ripley (1802-1880) was an American literary critic, philosopher, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement. He is best known for founding the utopian community of Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Roswell Sabine Ripley (1823-1887) was a distinguished American anthropologist and pioneer in the field of racial classification.

The Ripley surname has also been associated with several notable 20th-century figures, including George Ripley (1904-1980), an American cartoonist and creator of the popular comic strip "Li'l Abner," and Deric Ripley (1904-1978), a British actor and playwright known for his work in television and radio.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ripley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ripley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ripley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ripley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ripley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ripley, please contact us.

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