2000
#6,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,262
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Ryals
Derived from a place name meaning "rye hill" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,015 Americans carry the last name Ryals. That puts it at #6,252 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ryals 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
6.0K
1 in 56,983
Census rank
#6,252
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,245 bearers of the surname Ryals in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6252nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryals, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ryals
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryals, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ryals 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 Ryals surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 3,960
- Black or African American15.3% · 800
- Two or more races4.3% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 180
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ryals
Ryals 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
#6,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,523
+261 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#6,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,245
-278 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,021 | 5,262 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,194 | 5,523 | 1.87 | +261 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #6,252 | 5,245 | 1.75 | -278 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 58 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 Ryals 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 | #6,194 | #6,252 | -0.9% |
| Count | 5,523 | 5,245 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.75 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ryals bearers went from 5,523 to 5,245 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,194 to #6,252.
FAQ
Ryals surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ryals?
Name Census estimates that about 6,015 living Americans carry the surname Ryals. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,983 residents.
How common is Ryals?
Ryals ranks #6,252 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,245 people with the surname Ryals. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,015), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ryals.
Has Ryals become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ryals went from 5,523 recorded bearers to 5,245. That is a decrease of 278 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,194 to #6,252.
What does the Census say about the background of Ryals?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryals, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Ryals in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (3,960 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ryals appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (15.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Ryals (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 Ryals mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rye hill" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a hill. 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 Ryals (1.75 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 last name Ryals?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Ryals is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.