Ryant last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ryant

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic phrase "rith an t-sruthan" meaning "runs the stream".

Ryant, 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 Ryant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ryant in America

Ryant is the 43885th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ryant surname appeared 491 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ryant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ryant 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 43885 42529 3.14%
Count 491 480 2.27%
Proportion per 100k 0.17 0.18 -5.71%

The history of the last name Ryant

The surname RYANT is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "ryge," meaning rye or a small stream. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a rye field or a stream.

The earliest recorded instances of the RYANT surname can be traced back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Ryant, Riant, and Rient appearing in various historical records and documents from that era. One notable reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Essex from 1275, which mention a John Rient.

In the 14th century, the RYANT surname gained prominence in the county of Derbyshire, where it was closely associated with the village of Ryknield, also known as Ryknild or Ryknell. This village name is derived from the ancient Roman road, Ryknild Street, which passed through the area. It is likely that the RYANT surname originated from this location.

During the 15th century, the RYANT surname appeared in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the influential Paston family in Norfolk. In one letter dated 1472, a John Ryant is mentioned as a servant to Sir John Paston.

Notable individuals bearing the RYANT surname throughout history include:

  1. Richard Ryant (c. 1530 - 1592), an English merchant and explorer who traveled to the West Indies and South America.
  2. Elizabeth Ryant (1590 - 1648), a Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the first English women to give birth in the American colonies.
  3. William Ryant (1675 - 1734), a prominent landowner and politician in County Durham, England, who served as a Member of Parliament.
  4. Anne Ryant (1720 - 1805), a British author and poet known for her works on religious themes and moral instruction.
  5. James Ryant (1785 - 1860), an English industrialist and entrepreneur who owned several textile mills in Lancashire during the Industrial Revolution.

While the RYANT surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, this detailed history focuses solely on the origins and early records of the surname within its country of origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ryant

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

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 Ryant was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 37.88% 186
Non-Hispanic Black Only 56.82% 279
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.43% 7
Hispanic Origin 2.24% 11

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 Ryant has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 37.88% 43.54% -13.90%
Black 56.82% 53.96% 5.16%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.43% 1.04% 31.58%
Hispanic 2.24% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Ryant last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 21, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ryant-surname-popularity/.

"Ryant last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ryant-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 May, 2025

Ryant last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ryant-surname-popularity/.

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