2000
#2,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,048
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.95
Uncommon Last name
Rider
An occupational surname referring to a mounted warrior, messenger, or one who rides horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,077 Americans carry the last name Rider. That puts it at #2,245 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,961 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rider 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 Rider with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,961
Census rank
#2,245
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,764 bearers of the surname Rider in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2245th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rider, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rider
The surname Rider originates from England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "ridere," which means someone who rode horses, either as a messenger or in battle.
In medieval times, the ability to ride a horse was a valuable skill, and those who possessed it often took on the surname Rider. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1273, where it is listed as "Robert le Ridere."
Throughout the centuries, variations of the spelling have emerged, such as Ryder, Ridor, and Riddere. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the scribes' interpretations of the name.
The Rider name has been found in several historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Robert le Rydere is mentioned. In the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1379, a John Ryder is recorded.
One notable individual with the surname Rider was Sir John Rider (c. 1562-1641), an English diplomat and writer who served as a member of parliament and wrote several works on navigation and seamanship.
Another prominent figure was William Rider (1723-1785), an English cartographer and engraver who produced some of the most detailed maps of his time, including "Rider's British Merlin" and "Rider's Pocket Almanac."
In the literary world, Hayter Rider (1829-1904) was a British novelist and playwright known for his works "Chords and Discords" and "Riders of the Black Horse."
The Rider surname has also been associated with place names, such as Ridergate in Norfolk and Rydermere in Westmorland. These place names may have influenced the adoption of the surname in those regions.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contribution of Thomas Rider (1561-1633), an English lexicographer and theologian who compiled one of the earliest English-Latin dictionaries, titled "Rider's Dictionarie."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rider
Among Census respondents with the surname Rider, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rider 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 Rider surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 13,544
- Two or more races4.4% · 696
- Black or African American4.0% · 630
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 490
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 283
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rider
Rider 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
#2,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,352
+304 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 5.54
Rank movement Down 156 places
2020
#2,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,764
-588 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 5.27
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,071 | 16,048 | 5.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,227 | 16,352 | 5.54 | +304 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 156 places |
| 2020 | #2,245 | 15,764 | 5.27 | -588 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 18 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 Rider 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 | #2,227 | #2,245 | -0.8% |
| Count | 16,352 | 15,764 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.54 | 5.27 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rider bearers went from 16,352 to 15,764 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,227 to #2,245.
FAQ
Rider surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rider?
Name Census estimates that about 18,077 living Americans carry the surname Rider. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,961 residents.
How common is Rider?
Rider ranks #2,245 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,764 people with the surname Rider. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Rider.
Has Rider become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rider went from 16,352 recorded bearers to 15,764. That is a decrease of 588 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,227 to #2,245.
What does the Census say about the background of Rider?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rider, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (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 Rider in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (13,544 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rider appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (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 Rider (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 Rider mean?
An occupational surname referring to a mounted warrior, messenger, or one who rides horses. 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 Rider (5.27 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 share the surname Rider?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.