Find out how popular the last name Ritchie is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ritchie.

Ritchie, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ritchie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ritchie in America

Ritchie is the 1217th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ritchie surname appeared 29,040 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Ritchie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ritchie to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ritchie

The surname Ritchie is of Scottish origin, originating in the Lowlands region of Scotland during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English word "rice," meaning a streak or boundary, and the word "hoh," meaning a ridge or hill. It likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent ridge or boundary marker.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, with an entry in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the Scottish barons who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The entry included a "William de Rychi," believed to be an early spelling variation of the name.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various Scottish records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which documented financial transactions. One notable entry from 1365 mentioned a "John Rychy," who was a merchant in Edinburgh.

The surname Ritchie can also be linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Ritchie in Ayrshire and Ritchie in Aberdeenshire, which may have been the original locations where the name holders resided.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Ritchie was David Ritchie (1590-1661), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Professor of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh.

Another prominent individual was Joseph Ritchie (1788-1819), a Scottish poet and author, best known for his work "The Philosophical and Literary Class Book," published in 1815.

In the 19th century, William Ritchie (1809-1891) was a Scottish architect and civil engineer who designed several important buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.

Albert Ritchie (1876-1967) was a British writer and journalist, known for his works on World War I and his contributions to several newspapers, including The Times.

More recently, Denise Ritchie (born 1947) is a Scottish actress and playwright, best known for her roles in television series such as "Taggart" and "Scotch and Wry."

These examples illustrate the long and varied history of the surname Ritchie, which has been present in Scotland for centuries and has been borne by notable figures in various fields, from religion and literature to architecture and engineering.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ritchie

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ritchie.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ritchie was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ritchie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ritchie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ritchie, please contact us.

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