2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rissanen
A Finnish surname, possibly derived from risu meaning "twig" or "branch."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Rissanen. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rissanen 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Rissanen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rissanen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rissanen
The surname Rissanen is of Finnish origin, deriving from the Finnish word "risu" which means "twig" or "branch." This surname emerged in the 16th century in southwestern Finland, particularly in the regions around Turku and Pori.
In the 17th century, the name Rissanen appeared in several parish records and tax rolls in the Finnish provinces of Satakunta and Varsinais-Suomi. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname dates back to 1624 when a farmer named Matti Rissanen was mentioned in the tax records of the village of Kokemäki.
The Rissanen surname is thought to have originated as a descriptive name, likely referring to a person who lived near a thicket or a wooded area. Some historians also suggest that it may have been an occupational name for a person who worked with twigs or branches, such as a basket weaver or a thatcher.
In the late 18th century, a notable bearer of the Rissanen name was Juho Rissanen (1741-1809), a farmer and landowner from the town of Ulvila in Satakunta. His son, Matti Rissanen (1772-1835), was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a village elder.
Another notable Rissanen was Antti Rissanen (1856-1924), a Finnish writer and journalist who published several works on local history and folklore. He was born in the town of Pori and spent much of his life documenting the cultural traditions of the Satakunta region.
In the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname Rissanen was Jorma Rissanen (1932-2019), a Finnish mathematician and computer scientist. He made significant contributions to the field of information theory and is best known for developing the minimum description length principle, a fundamental concept in statistical modeling and machine learning.
Other notable bearers of the Rissanen name include Tapio Rissanen (born 1953), a Finnish politician and member of the European Parliament, and Mika Rissanen (born 1973), a Finnish ice hockey player who competed in several international tournaments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rissanen
Among Census respondents with the surname Rissanen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rissanen 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 Rissanen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rissanen
Rissanen 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+11 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,414 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-20 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 1,414 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 17,428 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 Rissanen 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 | #137,327 | #154,755 | -12.7% |
| Count | 122 | 102 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rissanen bearers went from 122 to 102 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 17,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #154,755.
FAQ
Rissanen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rissanen?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Rissanen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Rissanen?
Rissanen ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Rissanen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rissanen.
Has Rissanen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rissanen went from 122 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Rissanen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rissanen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Rissanen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rissanen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (4.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Rissanen (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 Rissanen mean?
A Finnish surname, possibly derived from risu meaning "twig" or "branch." 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 Rissanen (0.03 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 Rissanen?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rissanen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.