2000
#25,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 895
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Riden
A surname derived from the German word "Reiterin," meaning a female rider or horsewoman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,024 Americans carry the last name Riden. That puts it at #28,415 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 334,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riden 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 Riden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 334,721
Census rank
#28,415
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
893
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 893 bearers of the surname Riden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28415th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riden, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riden
The surname Riden is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "ridan," which means "to ride." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a rider or messenger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Riden can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a person named Radulfus Riden, who held lands in Hertfordshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Riden appeared in various historical records and documents. In the 13th century, a Robert Riden was listed as a landowner in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire. A century later, a John Riden was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, indicating that he was a taxpayer in the region.
The surname Riden has also been associated with various place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Riden in Worcestershire, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname. Additionally, the name has been linked to the village of Ryden in Derbyshire, which was spelled as "Riden" in older records.
One notable individual with the surname Riden was Sir John Riden (1550-1628), a prominent English politician and landowner. He served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and was knighted by King James I in 1603. Another significant figure was William Riden (1695-1768), a renowned clockmaker from London whose timepieces were highly sought after by collectors.
Other individuals who bore the surname Riden include Thomas Riden (1720-1793), a wealthy merchant from Bristol, and Elizabeth Riden (1775-1845), a philanthropist who founded a school for underprivileged children in her hometown of Shrewsbury.
In the 19th century, a family of Riden farmers were prominent in the village of Riden, Worcestershire. They were known for their expertise in breeding livestock and their contribution to the local agricultural community.
While the surname Riden is relatively uncommon today, its historical roots can be traced back to medieval England, where it was associated with occupations, place names, and notable individuals who played influential roles in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riden
Among Census respondents with the surname Riden, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Riden 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 Riden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 689
- Black or African American16.6% · 148
- Two or more races4.0% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riden
Riden 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
#29,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 789
-106 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 3,968 places
2020
#28,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 893
+104 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 1,378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,825 | 895 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,793 | 789 | 0.27 | -106 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 3,968 places |
| 2020 | #28,415 | 893 | 0.30 | +104 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 1,378 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 Riden 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 | #29,793 | #28,415 | 4.6% |
| Count | 789 | 893 | 13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.30 | 10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riden bearers went from 789 to 893 (+13.2% change). The surname moved up 1,378 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,793 to #28,415.
FAQ
Riden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riden?
Name Census estimates that about 1,024 living Americans carry the surname Riden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 334,721 residents.
How common is Riden?
Riden ranks #28,415 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 893 people with the surname Riden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Riden.
Has Riden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riden went from 789 recorded bearers to 893. That is an increase of 104 (+13.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #29,793 to #28,415.
What does the Census say about the background of Riden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riden, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Riden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (689 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (16.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Riden (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 Riden mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Reiterin," meaning a female rider or horsewoman. 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 Riden (0.30 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 have the surname Riden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.