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

Ryerson, 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 Ryerson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ryerson in America

Ryerson is the 12795th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ryerson surname appeared 2,410 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ryerson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ryerson 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 Ryerson

The surname Ryerson is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the province of Friesland. It is thought to be derived from the Old Frisian word "rīar," meaning "to break," or the Middle Dutch word "rieren," meaning "to stir" or "to move." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked as a digger, ditch-maker, or soil-turner.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ryerson surname can be found in the 16th century Dutch records, where it appears as "Rierssoon" or "Rierszoon," meaning "son of Rier." This patronymic form of the name indicates that it was likely passed down from father to son within the same family lineage.

In the 17th century, during the Dutch colonization of the New Netherland region (present-day New York, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut), some Ryerson families immigrated to the American colonies. One notable individual from this era was Maryn Adriaensen Ryerson, who was born in Amsterdam in 1620 and later settled in Flatbush, Long Island, becoming one of the earliest European settlers in the area.

Another prominent figure with the Ryerson surname was Reverend Egbert Benson Ryerson, born in 1803 in Charlotteville, Upper Canada (present-day Ontario, Canada). He was a Methodist minister, educator, and one of the founders of the public education system in Ontario. He played a crucial role in establishing the concept of free, universal, and non-sectarian education in the province.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Ryerson surname dates back to the 17th century, when Joris Jacobsen Ryerson arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) from the Netherlands in 1663. His descendants went on to establish the Ryerson family as one of the prominent Dutch American families in the region.

Another notable figure was Martin John Ryerson, born in 1834 in New Jersey, who served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and later became a successful businessman and philanthropist. He was involved in various charitable organizations and educational institutions, including the founding of the Ryerson Physical Laboratory at the University of Chicago.

In the 19th century, the Ryerson name was also associated with the iron and steel industry in the United States. One of the most prominent individuals in this field was Joseph T. Ryerson, born in 1850 in Baltimore, Maryland. He founded the Joseph T. Ryerson & Son company, which became one of the largest steel distribution and processing companies in the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ryerson

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

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

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

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