2000
#40,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 507
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Rickles
A surname derived from an English place name meaning "little ridge" or "small brook."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 577 Americans carry the last name Rickles. That puts it at #45,763 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 594,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rickles 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 Rickles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
577
1 in 594,028
Census rank
#45,763
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
503
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 503 bearers of the surname Rickles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45763rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickles, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rickles
The surname RICKLES is of English origin, and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a rick or haystack. The name is derived from the Old English word "hrycce," which means "rick" or "haystack."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RICKLES can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Riccheles." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the RICKLES surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, where many families with this name were recorded in local tax rolls and parish records.
In the 16th century, the name RICKLES was associated with several prominent figures. Sir Thomas RICKLES (1508-1568) was a renowned English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. His contemporary, Sir William RICKLES (1520-1592), was a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament.
Another notable bearer of the RICKLES surname was John RICKLES (1628-1691), an English clergyman and author who wrote several influential theological works. He served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the RICKLES name continued to be associated with various notable figures. For example, Samuel RICKLES (1653-1724) was an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the RICKLES surname was Sir James RICKLES (1815-1892), a British civil engineer and architect who oversaw the construction of several iconic buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Throughout history, the RICKLES surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Rickles, Rickleys, Rickeleys, and Rickelis, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of different areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rickles
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickles, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rickles 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 Rickles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 460
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 21
- Two or more races3.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rickles
Rickles 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
#40,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 540
+33 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 128 places
2020
#45,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 503
-37 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 5,269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,622 | 507 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,494 | 540 | 0.18 | +33 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 128 places |
| 2020 | #45,763 | 503 | 0.17 | -37 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 5,269 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 Rickles 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 | #40,494 | #45,763 | -13.0% |
| Count | 540 | 503 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rickles bearers went from 540 to 503 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 5,269 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,494 to #45,763.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rickles
FAQ
Rickles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rickles?
Name Census estimates that about 577 living Americans carry the surname Rickles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 594,028 residents.
How common is Rickles?
Rickles ranks #45,763 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 503 people with the surname Rickles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (577), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Rickles.
Has Rickles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rickles went from 540 recorded bearers to 503. That is a decrease of 37 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,494 to #45,763.
What does the Census say about the background of Rickles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickles, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Rickles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (460 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rickles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Rickles (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 Rickles mean?
A surname derived from an English place name meaning "little ridge" or "small brook." 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 Rickles (0.17 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 Rickles?
Want to know how many people have the last name Rickles? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.