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

Ryals, 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 Ryals surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ryals in America

Ryals is the 6194th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ryals surname appeared 5,523 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ryals.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ryals 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 Ryals

The surname Ryals has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words 'ryge' or 'rigg', meaning a ridge or hill, and 'halh', meaning a nook or corner of land. The combination suggests that the name referred to someone who lived in a corner of land near a ridge or hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Righalgh'. This entry is from the county of Lancashire, indicating that the name may have originated in this region of northwest England.

Throughout the centuries, the name took on various spellings, such as Ryghalgh, Righolde, and Ryhall, before eventually evolving into its modern form, Ryals. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the influence of scribes who recorded the name.

In the 13th century, records show a William de Rygholme, whose name suggests a connection to the village of Ryholme, which is located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This village's name is derived from the Old Norse words 'ryg' and 'holmr', meaning ridge and island or dry ground, further reinforcing the name's association with geographical features.

During the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was John Ryhall, a prominent English cleric who served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1349 to 1363. His name is a variant spelling that reflects the local dialect of the time.

In the 16th century, the name is recorded in the form of Rialles, as seen in the will of Thomas Rialles of Cheshire, dated 1568. This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames during this period.

Moving into the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname was Sir Henry Ryall (1581-1650), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Herefordshire. His ancestral home was Ryall Hill, near Ross-on-Wye, further emphasizing the name's connection to geographical features.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Ryall (1770-1839), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The 19th century saw the birth of James Ryall (1826-1880), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and is regarded as one of the earliest professional cricketers in the sport's history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ryals

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

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 Ryals 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 Ryals 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 Ryals was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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