2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ritcey
A surname derived from an Old English place name meaning "ridge meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Ritcey. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ritcey 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Ritcey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritcey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ritcey
The surname Ritcey originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the lands of Rattray, a parish in Perthshire. The name Ritcey is a variant spelling of the place name Rattray, which is thought to come from the Gaelic word "rath" meaning a fort or earthen rampart, combined with the word "trev" meaning a village or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ritcey can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which document financial transactions and payments made to the crown. In 1364, a John de Ratree is listed as receiving payment for services rendered to the king.
In the 16th century, the Ritcey spelling began to appear more frequently in Scottish records. A notable figure from this time was William Ritcey, a merchant and burgess of Aberdeen, who was born in 1542 and lived until 1618.
The surname Ritcey also has a connection to the Clan Ogilvy, a prominent Scottish clan with lands in Angus and Perthshire. Some records suggest that the Ritceys were a sept or branch of the Clan Ogilvy, owing allegiance to the chief of the clan.
As the Ritcey family spread throughout Scotland, various spelling variations emerged, such as Ritchie, Richie, and Ritchey. One notable individual with this spelling variation was Sir Alexander Ritchie, a Scottish physician and naturalist who lived from 1756 to 1819.
In the 19th century, individuals bearing the Ritcey surname began to emigrate from Scotland to other parts of the world, including North America. One such individual was Robert Ritcey, who was born in Perthshire in 1823 and later settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he worked as a farmer and raised a family.
Throughout history, the Ritcey surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, from merchants and burgesses to physicians and naturalists. While not a particularly widespread name, it has a rich heritage rooted in the historical lands and clans of medieval Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ritcey
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritcey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ritcey 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 Ritcey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 103
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ritcey
Ritcey appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-11 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 10,499 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 Ritcey 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 | #141,140 | #151,639 | -7.4% |
| Count | 118 | 107 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ritcey bearers went from 118 to 107 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 10,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #151,639.
FAQ
Ritcey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ritcey?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Ritcey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Ritcey?
Ritcey ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Ritcey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Ritcey.
Has Ritcey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ritcey went from 118 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Ritcey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritcey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Ritcey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ritcey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Black (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Ritcey (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 Ritcey mean?
A surname derived from an Old English place name meaning "ridge meadow". 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 Ritcey (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 have the surname Ritcey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.