2000
#13,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Ryman
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or village called Rye.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,174 Americans carry the last name Ryman. That puts it at #14,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ryman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ryman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,661
Census rank
#14,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,896 bearers of the surname Ryman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ryman
The surname Ryman is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name 'Ryman' or 'Rymans' in Yorkshire. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words 'rym' meaning 'spacious' or 'wide' and 'mann' meaning 'man', suggesting it may have referred to someone who lived in a spacious or wide area.
The earliest known record of the surname Ryman appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1208, where it is listed as 'Rymannus'. This Latin form of the name suggests it was likely adopted by a Norman family who had settled in Yorkshire after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in various records across England, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as 'Ryman'. This spelling remained predominant throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Ryman surname was Robert Ryman, a landowner and tax collector from Yorkshire, who was recorded in the Yorkshire Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1301. Another early individual with this name was John Ryman, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the Port Books of Southampton in 1428.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable Rymans emerged. These include Thomas Ryman (1492-1551), a prominent clergyman and academic who served as the Warden of Winchester College, and Richard Ryman (1564-1631), a successful merchant and alderman in the City of London.
In the 18th century, the Ryman family had established themselves as notable landowners and gentry in various parts of England. One such individual was Sir John Ryman (1715-1789), a baronet and Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.
Throughout the 19th century, several Rymans made their mark in various fields, including William Ryman (1803-1879), a celebrated artist and engraver, and Charles Ryman (1857-1924), a renowned architect and designer of several notable buildings in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ryman
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ryman 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 Ryman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,759
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 56
- Two or more races2.2% · 42
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ryman
Ryman 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
#14,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,994
-66 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,324 places
2020
#14,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,896
-98 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,530 | 2,060 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,854 | 1,994 | 0.68 | -66 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1,324 places |
| 2020 | #14,966 | 1,896 | 0.63 | -98 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 112 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 Ryman 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 | #14,854 | #14,966 | -0.8% |
| Count | 1,994 | 1,896 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.63 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ryman bearers went from 1,994 to 1,896 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,854 to #14,966.
FAQ
Ryman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ryman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,174 living Americans carry the surname Ryman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,661 residents.
How common is Ryman?
Ryman ranks #14,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,896 people with the surname Ryman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Ryman.
Has Ryman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ryman went from 1,994 recorded bearers to 1,896. That is a decrease of 98 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,854 to #14,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Ryman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ryman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ryman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,759 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ryman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ryman (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 Ryman mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or village called Rye. 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 Ryman (0.63 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 common is the surname Ryman?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Ryman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.