2000
#1,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,397
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.53
Uncommon Last name
Ritchie
Derived from a medieval nickname for a brave or powerful ruler, from Old English "rice" meaning "powerful, mighty."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,413 Americans carry the last name Ritchie. That puts it at #1,223 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ritchie 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 Ritchie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,575
Census rank
#1,223
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,266 bearers of the surname Ritchie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1223rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritchie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ritchie
The surname Ritchie is of Scottish origin, originating in the Lowlands region of Scotland during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English word "rice," meaning a streak or boundary, and the word "hoh," meaning a ridge or hill. It likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent ridge or boundary marker.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, with an entry in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the Scottish barons who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The entry included a "William de Rychi," believed to be an early spelling variation of the name.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various Scottish records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which documented financial transactions. One notable entry from 1365 mentioned a "John Rychy," who was a merchant in Edinburgh.
The surname Ritchie can also be linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Ritchie in Ayrshire and Ritchie in Aberdeenshire, which may have been the original locations where the name holders resided.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Ritchie was David Ritchie (1590-1661), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Professor of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh.
Another prominent individual was Joseph Ritchie (1788-1819), a Scottish poet and author, best known for his work "The Philosophical and Literary Class Book," published in 1815.
In the 19th century, William Ritchie (1809-1891) was a Scottish architect and civil engineer who designed several important buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
Albert Ritchie (1876-1967) was a British writer and journalist, known for his works on World War I and his contributions to several newspapers, including The Times.
More recently, Denise Ritchie (born 1947) is a Scottish actress and playwright, best known for her roles in television series such as "Taggart" and "Scotch and Wry."
These examples illustrate the long and varied history of the surname Ritchie, which has been present in Scotland for centuries and has been borne by notable figures in various fields, from religion and literature to architecture and engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ritchie
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritchie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ritchie 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 Ritchie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 24,989
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,080
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 939
- Black or African American3.2% · 897
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 206
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 155
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ritchie
Ritchie 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
#1,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,040
+643 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 9.84
Rank movement Down 86 places
2020
#1,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,266
-774 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 9.46
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,131 | 28,397 | 10.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,217 | 29,040 | 9.84 | +643 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 86 places |
| 2020 | #1,223 | 28,266 | 9.46 | -774 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 6 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 Ritchie 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 | #1,217 | #1,223 | -0.5% |
| Count | 29,040 | 28,266 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 9.84 | 9.46 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ritchie bearers went from 29,040 to 28,266 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,217 to #1,223.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ritchie
FAQ
Ritchie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ritchie?
Name Census estimates that about 32,413 living Americans carry the surname Ritchie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,575 residents.
How common is Ritchie?
Ritchie ranks #1,223 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,266 people with the surname Ritchie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Ritchie.
Has Ritchie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ritchie went from 29,040 recorded bearers to 28,266. That is a decrease of 774 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,217 to #1,223.
What does the Census say about the background of Ritchie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritchie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Ritchie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (24,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ritchie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Ritchie (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 Ritchie mean?
Derived from a medieval nickname for a brave or powerful ruler, from Old English "rice" meaning "powerful, mighty." 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 Ritchie (9.46 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 Ritchie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.