2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rizley
A surname possibly derived from a Scottish place name or a variation of the name Risley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Rizley. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rizley 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Rizley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rizley
The surname Rizley is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the county of Yorkshire during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "rizlic," which means "rye field" or "rye meadow." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or owned a field where rye was grown.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Riselai." This entry is thought to refer to a location in Yorkshire, possibly the site of the original rye field that gave rise to the surname.
During the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in historical records, such as "Riseley" and "Ryseley." These spellings reflect the evolution of the English language and the regional dialects of the time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Rizley include:
1. Sir Thomas Rizley (1532-1602), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Margaret Rizley (1675-1739), a pioneering female writer and poet from Lincolnshire, known for her works on religious themes.
3. John Rizley (1798-1872), a prominent architect from Lancashire responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the region.
4. William Rizley (1832-1901), a British explorer and naturalist who led expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and documented numerous new species of plants and animals.
5. Elizabeth Rizley (1889-1964), a suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and was involved in the Pankhurst movement in London.
The name Rizley has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Rizley Park in Yorkshire and Rizley Manor in Gloucestershire. These locations may have derived their names from the original Rizley family or been named after individuals bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rizley
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rizley 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 Rizley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rizley
Rizley 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 5,839 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 Rizley 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 | #156,044 | #150,205 | 3.7% |
| Count | 104 | 109 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rizley bearers went from 104 to 109 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 5,839 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #150,205.
FAQ
Rizley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rizley?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Rizley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Rizley?
Rizley ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Rizley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Rizley.
Has Rizley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rizley went from 104 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 5 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Rizley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Rizley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rizley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Rizley (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 Rizley mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Scottish place name or a variation of the name Risley. 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 Rizley (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 common is the surname Rizley?
Want to know how many people have the surname Rizley? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.