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

Ryley, 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 Ryley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ryley in America

Ryley is the 60196th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ryley surname appeared 335 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 Ryley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ryley 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 Ryley

The surname Ryley is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "rigelc," which means "ridge" or "hillock," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a ridge or hilly area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ryley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, where a person named William de Rygeley is mentioned. This spelling variation indicates that the name was likely associated with a specific place or location in Yorkshire.

The Ryley surname is also thought to have links to various place names in England, such as Ryley in Lancashire and Ryhall in Rutland. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

In the late 14th century, a document known as the Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire from 1379 lists a person named Johannes Ryley, providing further evidence of the surname's presence in the region during that period.

One notable historical figure with the surname Ryley was John Ryley, born in 1633 in Cheshire, England. He was a nonconformist minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The True Doctrine of the Christian Sabbath" and "The Covenant of Grace Unveiled."

Another individual of note was Samuel Ryley, born in 1600 in Cheshire. He was a prominent Puritan minister and served as the chaplain to Prince Rupert of the Rhine during the English Civil War.

In the 17th century, a man named William Ryley, born in 1623 in Yorkshire, made significant contributions as a herald and antiquarian. He served as the Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms and later as the Lancaster Herald. Ryley published several works on English heraldry and genealogy, including "The Visitation of Yorkshire."

Moving into the 18th century, Joseph Ryley, born in 1697 in Leicestershire, was a notable English actor and playwright. He performed at various theaters in London and wrote several plays, including "The Beggar's Opera" and "The Lady's Cure."

In the 19th century, John Ryley, born in 1812 in Yorkshire, was a prominent English businessman and industrialist. He founded the Ryley Brothers textile manufacturing company, which played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Yorkshire during the Industrial Revolution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ryley

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!