# Rice (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/rice/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Welsh [in turn originating as a patronymic].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Welsh |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 149,500 |
| US rank (2010) | 184 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,065 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.1% (146,440 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɹaɪs/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Rise, Wrice |

## Etymology

* As a Welsh surname, borrowed from Welsh Rhys, an Anglicization. Compare Reese, Freese, Price, and Preece. * As an English surname, from Old English hris (“brushwood, shrubbery”). * Also as an English surname, from a nickname through Middle English and Anglo-Norman from French ris (“smile, laughter”). * Also as an occupational English surname, from the noun rice. * As as German surname, Americanized from Reis (“shoot, twig”), related to the Old English word above. Compare Ries.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Rice in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 78% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 17% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Rice in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Canada.

## People named Rice

- Condoleezza Rice, American diplomat and political scientist (born 1954)
- Anne Rice, American author (1941–2021)
- Charles M. Rice, American virologist
- Susan Rice, American diplomat and policy advisor (born 1964)
- Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer
- Jerry Rice, American football player (born 1962)
- Angourie Rice, Australian actress
- Glen Rice, American basketball player (born 1967)
- Elmer Rice, American playwright (1892–1967)
- Marjorie Rice, American amateur mathematician (*1923 – †2017)
- Tony Rice, American bluegrass musician (1951–2020)
- Horace Rice, Australian tennis player (1872–1950)

and 34 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Ries, Race, Riess, Riese, Rich, Rico, Ricks, Richey, Ricci, Richie, Rick, Riccio.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.