2000
#12,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Ryerson
An English occupational surname referring to someone who thatches roofs with rye straw.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,565 Americans carry the last name Ryerson. That puts it at #13,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ryerson 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
2.6K
1 in 133,627
Census rank
#13,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,237 bearers of the surname Ryerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ryerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ryerson 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 Ryerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,025
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 85
- Two or more races3.3% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 25
- Black or African American1.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ryerson
Ryerson 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
#12,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,410
+131 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 308 places
2020
#13,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,237
-173 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 320 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,487 | 2,279 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,795 | 2,410 | 0.82 | +131 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 308 places |
| 2020 | #13,115 | 2,237 | 0.75 | -173 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 320 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 Ryerson 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 | #12,795 | #13,115 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,410 | 2,237 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.75 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ryerson bearers went from 2,410 to 2,237 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 320 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,795 to #13,115.
FAQ
Ryerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ryerson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,565 living Americans carry the surname Ryerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,627 residents.
How common is Ryerson?
Ryerson ranks #13,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,237 people with the surname Ryerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ryerson.
Has Ryerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ryerson went from 2,410 recorded bearers to 2,237. That is a decrease of 173 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,795 to #13,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Ryerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ryerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,025 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ryerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ryerson (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 Ryerson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who thatches roofs with rye straw. 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 Ryerson (0.75 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 share the surname Ryerson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.