2000
#9,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,189
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Ridings
Derived from a place name referring to a tract of land within a county or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,428 Americans carry the last name Ridings. That puts it at #10,256 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,987 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ridings 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 Ridings with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,987
Census rank
#10,256
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,989 bearers of the surname Ridings in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10256th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridings, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ridings
The surname Ridings has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "riding," which referred to a specific administrative division or district, particularly within the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire. These ridings were historically used for administrative purposes and were often divided into smaller units called wapentakes or hundreds.
The name Ridings is believed to have originated as a locational surname, indicating that the bearer or their ancestors hailed from a specific riding or district. This practice of adopting surnames based on geographic locations was common during the Middle Ages as a means of identifying individuals and establishing familial connections.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ridings can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1176, where a certain Willelmus de Rydding is mentioned. This reference suggests that the name was already in use in the 12th century and may have been associated with a particular place called Rydding, possibly a corruption of the word "riding."
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John de Rydinges, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the administrative divisions of ridings. This document served as a survey of landholdings and property rights in various counties of England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Ridings. One such figure was Sir Thomas Ridings (c. 1530-1590), a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1589-1590. Another notable bearer of this surname was John Ridings (1776-1858), an English artist and engraver known for his landscape paintings and illustrations.
Other notable individuals include:
1. William Ridings (1821-1892), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.
2. Joseph Ridings (1812-1886), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Liverpool and the surrounding areas.
3. Ann Ridings (1762-1835), an English writer and poet who published works such as "The Poetical Remains of the Late Mrs. Ann Ridings" in 1826.
4. Henry Ridings (1690-1758), an English clergyman and author who wrote "The History of the Church of England" among other works.
5. Robert Ridings (1819-1899), a British industrialist and engineer who owned several coal mines and was involved in the early development of steam engines.
The surname Ridings has a rich history deeply rooted in the administrative divisions and geographic regions of medieval England. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "riding," and it has been associated with various notable individuals throughout the centuries, spanning fields such as politics, arts, literature, and industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ridings
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridings, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ridings 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 Ridings surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,752
- Two or more races3.7% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ridings
Ridings 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
#10,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,187
-2 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 736 places
2020
#10,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,989
-198 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,371 | 3,189 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,107 | 3,187 | 1.08 | -2 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 736 places |
| 2020 | #10,256 | 2,989 | 1.00 | -198 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 149 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 Ridings 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 | #10,107 | #10,256 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,187 | 2,989 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.00 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ridings bearers went from 3,187 to 2,989 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,107 to #10,256.
FAQ
Ridings surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ridings?
Name Census estimates that about 3,428 living Americans carry the surname Ridings. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,987 residents.
How common is Ridings?
Ridings ranks #10,256 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,989 people with the surname Ridings. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Ridings.
Has Ridings become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ridings went from 3,187 recorded bearers to 2,989. That is a decrease of 198 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,107 to #10,256.
What does the Census say about the background of Ridings?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ridings, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Ridings in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,752 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ridings appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Ridings (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 Ridings mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a tract of land within a county or region. 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 Ridings (1.00 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 Ridings?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.