2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Riseden
A topographic surname referring to a person who lived on or near a ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Riseden. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riseden 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Riseden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riseden, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riseden
The surname Riseden is an English name with origins dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ris" meaning brushwood or shrub, and "denu" meaning a valley or dell. This suggests the name may have originated as a topographic name given to someone who lived near a shrubby valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a Richard de Risdene is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, lending credence to the early existence of this surname.
In the 13th century, the name is found in various forms such as Ryseden, Risedene, and Risedun, reflecting the evolving spellings common during that time. A notable bearer of the name was Robert de Riseden, who is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.
As the name evolved, it took on different spellings, including Risdon and Rysdon. One of the earliest known bearers of this variation was John Risdon, a historian and topographer born in Winscot, Devon, in 1558. He authored the famous work "Survey of Devon" in 1630, which provided a detailed description of the county.
Another significant figure with this surname was Tristram Risdon, born in 1580 in Winscot, Devon. He was a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in 1628 and played a role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Royalist cause but later switching allegiances to the Parliamentarians.
In the 17th century, the name Riseden is found in various parish records across England, indicating its continued presence. One notable bearer was William Riseden, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1623 and served as a respected clergyman and rector in the Church of England.
As the centuries passed, the name Riseden maintained its presence, though it became relatively uncommon compared to its variations like Risdon and Rysdon. Sir William Risdon, born in 1837 in Devon, was a prominent figure in the 19th century, serving as a Member of Parliament for the Northern Division of Devon from 1880 to 1885.
While the surname Riseden is not as widespread today as it once was, it remains a part of English heritage, with its origins rooted in the descriptive naming practices of medieval times, reflecting the landscape and geography of the areas where its early bearers resided.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riseden
Among Census respondents with the surname Riseden, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Riseden 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 Riseden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 104
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riseden
Riseden 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,190 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,190 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 11,142 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 Riseden 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 | #138,304 | #149,446 | -8.1% |
| Count | 121 | 110 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riseden bearers went from 121 to 110 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 11,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #149,446.
FAQ
Riseden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riseden?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Riseden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Riseden?
Riseden ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Riseden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Riseden.
Has Riseden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riseden went from 121 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Riseden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riseden, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Riseden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riseden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Riseden (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 Riseden mean?
A topographic surname referring to a person who lived on or near a ridge. 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 Riseden (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 share the surname Riseden?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.