2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rydz
A Polish surname derived from the word "rydz" meaning "bracken" or "fern".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Rydz. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rydz 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Rydz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rydz, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rydz
The surname RYDZ is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "rydz," which means "toadstool" or "mushroom." The name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near a mushroom-rich area or had a profession related to mushroom harvesting or cultivation.
In early Polish records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Rydz, Rydze, and Rydzewski. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the "Ksiega Henrykowska," a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a person named "Rydze" living in the region of Silesia.
During the Renaissance period, the surname RYDZ gained prominence among Polish nobility and landed gentry. Notable figures with this surname include Jan Rydz (1574-1638), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars, and Mikołaj Rydz (1626-1693), a renowned lawyer and legal scholar who authored several treatises on Polish law.
In the 18th century, the RYDZ family produced several distinguished members, such as Franciszek Rydz (1713-1789), a prominent architect who designed several churches and palaces in Warsaw, and Józef Rydz (1763-1832), a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of a hospital in Kraków.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname RYDZ was Edward Rydz-Śmigły (1886-1941), a Polish military leader and Marshal of Poland. He played a crucial role in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 and later served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces during the early stages of World War II.
Another notable figure was Kazimierz Rydz (1894-1950), a Polish poet and writer who was active in the interwar period and is considered one of the pioneers of Polish expressionist poetry. His works, such as "Wiersze" (Poems) and "Zielone Oko" (Green Eye), earned him critical acclaim.
The RYDZ surname has also been associated with certain place names in Poland, such as the village of Rydzyna (formerly known as Rydz) in the Greater Poland region, and the town of Rydzewo in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rydz
Among Census respondents with the surname Rydz, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rydz 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 Rydz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino16.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rydz
Rydz 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+12 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,707 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 2,707 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,795 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 Rydz 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 | #141,140 | #150,935 | -6.9% |
| Count | 118 | 108 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rydz bearers went from 118 to 108 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,795 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,935.
FAQ
Rydz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rydz?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Rydz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Rydz?
Rydz ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Rydz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Rydz.
Has Rydz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rydz went from 118 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Rydz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rydz, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Black (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 Rydz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rydz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (16.7%), Black (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 Rydz (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 Rydz mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "rydz" meaning "bracken" or "fern". 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 Rydz (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 have the last name Rydz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Rydz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.