2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ritsick
Of Anglo-Saxon origin, a topographic surname referring to a person residing near a stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Ritsick. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ritsick 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Ritsick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritsick, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ritsick
The surname Ritsick is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in records dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the German word "ritze," which means "scratch" or "incision," and may have been an occupational name for a woodcarver or engraver.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a Jorg Ritsick was listed as a resident in 1492. Another early mention is in the church records of Augsburg, where a Hans Ritsick was baptized in 1518.
The name Ritsick is also closely linked to the village of Ritschenhausen, located in the region of Thuringia, where it may have originated as a place name before becoming a surname. This connection is supported by the appearance of the name Cuntz Ritsick von Ritschenhausen in a tax record from 1566.
In the 17th century, the Ritsick family appears to have expanded their reach, with records indicating a Johann Ritsick residing in the city of Frankfurt in 1631, and a Matthias Ritsick listed as a landowner in the village of Meiningen in 1674.
One notable individual bearing the Ritsick surname was Hans Ritsick (1592-1663), a German artist and engraver known for his intricate woodcuts depicting biblical scenes and landscapes. His work was widely circulated throughout Europe during his lifetime and is still studied by art historians today.
Another prominent Ritsick was Albrecht Ritsick (1718-1792), a respected theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. He authored several influential treatises on ethics and moral philosophy, and his lectures were attended by students from across the German states.
The Ritsick name also appears in the military records of the Thirty Years' War, with a Captain Joachim Ritsick (1598-1648) serving as a cavalry officer in the Imperial Army. He is said to have fought bravely at the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634, where he sustained a wound that ultimately led to his death.
In the 19th century, the Ritsick family continued to spread throughout Germany, with branches establishing themselves in cities such as Berlin, Dresden, and Munich. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Ritsick (1836-1912), a renowned architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the iconic Reichstag building.
While the Ritsick name is still present in Germany today, it remains relatively uncommon, with most descendants of the original Ritsick families having adopted other surnames over the centuries through marriage or other circumstances.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ritsick
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritsick, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ritsick 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 Ritsick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ritsick
Ritsick 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+10 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 244 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-13 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 244 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 13,072 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 Ritsick 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 | #135,593 | #148,665 | -9.6% |
| Count | 124 | 111 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ritsick bearers went from 124 to 111 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 13,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #148,665.
FAQ
Ritsick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ritsick?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Ritsick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Ritsick?
Ritsick ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Ritsick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Ritsick.
Has Ritsick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ritsick went from 124 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Ritsick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritsick, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) 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 Ritsick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ritsick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Hispanic (2.7%), 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 Ritsick (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 Ritsick mean?
Of Anglo-Saxon origin, a topographic surname referring to a person residing near a stream. 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 Ritsick (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 are called Ritsick?
Find out how many people are called Ritsick on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.