2000
#7,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,048
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Risley
Derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,329 Americans carry the last name Risley. That puts it at #8,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Risley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Risley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,176
Census rank
#8,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,775 bearers of the surname Risley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Risley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Risley
The surname Risley is of English origin, deriving from the place name Risley, a village in Derbyshire, England. The name has its roots in Old English, with "ris" meaning "brushwood" and "leah" meaning "woodland clearing," suggesting that the original inhabitants lived in a clearing among brushwood.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Riseleie." This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Risley was prominent among the landed gentry and nobility of Derbyshire and neighboring counties. Notable bearers of the name include Sir John Risley (born c. 1340), a renowned knight and landowner in Derbyshire, and Sir Ralph Risley (c. 1400-1460), a Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Derbyshire.
In the 16th century, the Risley family established themselves in Lancashire, where they became influential landowners and industrialists. One notable member was Nathaniel Risley (1570-1639), a successful merchant and philanthropist who founded Risley Grammar School, which still operates today.
The name Risley also has a strong association with the village of Risley in Cheshire, where the Risley family held a significant estate for several centuries. Sir Thomas Risley (1630-1707), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament, was responsible for rebuilding the parish church in Risley.
Other notable individuals with the surname Risley include John Risley (1777-1845), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Samuel Risley (1818-1887), an American educator and abolitionist who founded several colleges and universities in the United States.
Throughout its history, the surname Risley has maintained a strong presence in England, particularly in the regions of Derbyshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, where it originated and flourished over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Risley
Among Census respondents with the surname Risley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Risley 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 Risley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 3,445
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 125
- Two or more races3.2% · 119
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Risley
Risley 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
#8,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,040
-8 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 639 places
2020
#8,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,775
-265 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,574 | 4,048 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,213 | 4,040 | 1.37 | -8 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 639 places |
| 2020 | #8,400 | 3,775 | 1.26 | -265 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 187 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 Risley 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 | #8,213 | #8,400 | -2.3% |
| Count | 4,040 | 3,775 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.26 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Risley bearers went from 4,040 to 3,775 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 187 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,213 to #8,400.
FAQ
Risley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Risley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,329 living Americans carry the surname Risley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,176 residents.
How common is Risley?
Risley ranks #8,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,775 people with the surname Risley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,329), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Risley.
Has Risley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Risley went from 4,040 recorded bearers to 3,775. That is a decrease of 265 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,213 to #8,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Risley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Risley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Risley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,445 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Risley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (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 Risley (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 Risley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a clearing. 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 Risley (1.26 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 surname Risley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.