2000
#3,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Rare Last name
Ritchey
Derived from a place name meaning "rich island" or referring to a person from Ritchie, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,681 Americans carry the last name Ritchey. That puts it at #4,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,405 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ritchey 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
9.7K
1 in 35,405
Census rank
#4,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,442 bearers of the surname Ritchey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritchey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ritchey
The surname Ritchey is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "ricg," which means "ridge," referring to a person who lived near a ridge or hill. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273, where it appeared as "Richeus."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England, there is mention of a place called "Richefeld" in Derbyshire, which may have contributed to the formation of the surname. This suggests that the name was initially a locational name, referring to someone who hailed from a place called Ritchey or a similar-sounding name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ritchey was William Ritchey, born in 1425 in Yorkshire, England. He was a landowner and farmer who is mentioned in local records from that time.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Ritchie, Ritchy, and Ritchee, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. During this period, John Ritchey (1520-1588) was a notable figure from Gloucestershire, England, who served as a member of the local council.
As the surname spread across England, it was also associated with notable individuals like Thomas Ritchey (1640-1712), a respected merchant and ship owner from Bristol, and Elizabeth Ritchey (1675-1745), a renowned herbalist and midwife from Northamptonshire.
In the 18th century, the Ritchey surname found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. One notable figure was William Ritchey (1725-1802), a Scottish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Another significant individual with this surname was Sir Charles Ritchey (1795-1872), a British naval officer who played a crucial role in the Battle of Navarino during the Greek War of Independence in 1827. His bravery and leadership earned him widespread recognition and several honors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ritchey
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritchey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ritchey 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 Ritchey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 7,665
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 312
- Two or more races3.6% · 303
- Black or African American1.1% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ritchey
Ritchey 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
#4,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,844
+262 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#4,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,442
-402 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,791 | 8,582 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,019 | 8,844 | 3.00 | +262 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #4,078 | 8,442 | 2.82 | -402 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 59 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 Ritchey 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 | #4,019 | #4,078 | -1.5% |
| Count | 8,844 | 8,442 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.00 | 2.82 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ritchey bearers went from 8,844 to 8,442 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,019 to #4,078.
FAQ
Ritchey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ritchey?
Name Census estimates that about 9,681 living Americans carry the surname Ritchey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,405 residents.
How common is Ritchey?
Ritchey ranks #4,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,442 people with the surname Ritchey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,681), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ritchey.
Has Ritchey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ritchey went from 8,844 recorded bearers to 8,442. That is a decrease of 402 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,019 to #4,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Ritchey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritchey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Ritchey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (7,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ritchey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Ritchey (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 Ritchey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rich island" or referring to a person from Ritchie, Scotland. 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 Ritchey (2.82 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 Ritchey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.