2000
#3,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,892
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.30
Uncommon Last name
Ripley
From a place name meaning "strip of land cleared of trees," or referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,267 Americans carry the last name Ripley. That puts it at #3,862 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,384 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ripley 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 Ripley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,384
Census rank
#3,862
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,953 bearers of the surname Ripley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3862nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ripley
The surname Ripley is derived from the Old English words "rip" meaning "strip of land" and "leah" meaning "wood" or "clearing." It originated in England, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire, where place names such as Ripley existed as early as the 11th century.
The name Ripley first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname was "de Ripeleia," referring to someone from the village of Ripley.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hugh de Ripeleia, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Ripley, a 15th-century alchemist and philosopher who wrote several treatises on the subject of alchemy.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Ripley spread across England, and several notable individuals emerged. George Ripley (1415-1490) was a renowned English alchemist and Augustinian canon. Clement Ripley (1570-1619) was an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of Woodstock.
In the 18th century, John Ripley (1697-1758) was a renowned English playwright and author, best known for his comedies "The Modish Husband" and "The Lancashire Witches." Another notable figure was Eleazar Wheelock Ripley (1782-1839), an American Army officer and politician who served as a Brigadier General during the War of 1812.
In the 19th century, George Ripley (1802-1880) was an American literary critic, philosopher, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement. He is best known for founding the utopian community of Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Roswell Sabine Ripley (1823-1887) was a distinguished American anthropologist and pioneer in the field of racial classification.
The Ripley surname has also been associated with several notable 20th-century figures, including George Ripley (1904-1980), an American cartoonist and creator of the popular comic strip "Li'l Abner," and Deric Ripley (1904-1978), a British actor and playwright known for his work in television and radio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ripley
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ripley 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 Ripley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 7,805
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 377
- Two or more races4.0% · 354
- Black or African American2.5% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ripley
Ripley 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
#3,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,314
+422 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.16
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#3,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,953
-361 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Down 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,670 | 8,892 | 3.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,799 | 9,314 | 3.16 | +422 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #3,862 | 8,953 | 3.00 | -361 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 63 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 Ripley 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 | #3,799 | #3,862 | -1.7% |
| Count | 9,314 | 8,953 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.16 | 3.00 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ripley bearers went from 9,314 to 8,953 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,799 to #3,862.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ripley
FAQ
Ripley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ripley?
Name Census estimates that about 10,267 living Americans carry the surname Ripley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,384 residents.
How common is Ripley?
Ripley ranks #3,862 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,953 people with the surname Ripley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,267), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ripley.
Has Ripley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ripley went from 9,314 recorded bearers to 8,953. That is a decrease of 361 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,799 to #3,862.
What does the Census say about the background of Ripley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) 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 Ripley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (7,805 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ripley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (4.2%), 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 Ripley (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 Ripley mean?
From a place name meaning "strip of land cleared of trees," or referring to someone who lived there. 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 Ripley (3.00 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 common is the surname Ripley?
Find out how many people have the surname Ripley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.