2000
#5,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.32
Rare Last name
Rickman
An English occupational surname referring to a man who is rich or wealthy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,135 Americans carry the last name Rickman. That puts it at #5,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,038 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rickman 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 Rickman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,038
Census rank
#5,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,222 bearers of the surname Rickman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rickman
The surname Rickman originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ric" meaning powerful or wealthy, and "man" meaning man or person. The name likely referred to someone who was considered a powerful or wealthy individual within their community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rickman surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Ricmane" and "Ricmanis" in various entries throughout the document.
In the 13th century, the surname was commonly spelled as "Rikeman" or "Ricman" in various records and manuscripts from counties such as Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. By the 14th century, the spelling had evolved closer to the modern form of "Rickman."
Some notable historical figures bearing the Rickman surname include John Rickman (1771-1840), a political economist and census pioneer who played a significant role in the development of modern census techniques in England. Thomas Rickman (1776-1841) was an English architect and writer known for his work on Gothic Revival architecture and his influential book "An Attempt to Discriminate the Styles of English Architecture."
Another notable individual was William Rickman (1542-1618), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London during the Elizabethan era. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1592-1593.
In the 18th century, Edward Rickman (1730-1803) was a prominent English lawyer and legal writer who served as the Deputy Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London.
The surname Rickman is also associated with several place names in England, such as Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, which likely derived its name from an early landowner or prominent individual with the surname Rickman.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rickman
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rickman 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 Rickman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 5,088
- Black or African American7.5% · 464
- Two or more races5.1% · 317
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 246
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rickman
Rickman 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
#5,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,774
+506 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#5,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,222
-552 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,137 | 6,268 | 2.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,166 | 6,774 | 2.30 | +506 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #5,411 | 6,222 | 2.08 | -552 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 245 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 Rickman 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 | #5,166 | #5,411 | -4.7% |
| Count | 6,774 | 6,222 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.30 | 2.08 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rickman bearers went from 6,774 to 6,222 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,166 to #5,411.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rickman
FAQ
Rickman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rickman?
Name Census estimates that about 7,135 living Americans carry the surname Rickman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,038 residents.
How common is Rickman?
Rickman ranks #5,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,222 people with the surname Rickman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rickman.
Has Rickman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rickman went from 6,774 recorded bearers to 6,222. That is a decrease of 552 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,166 to #5,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Rickman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Rickman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (5,088 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rickman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (7.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Rickman (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 Rickman mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a man who is rich or wealthy. 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 Rickman (2.08 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 are called Rickman?
Want to know how many people are called Rickman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.