How common is the surname Richardson?

259,798 people in the United States had the surname Richardson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,188 Americans. It ranked 80th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Richardson?

Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist, followed by Natasha Richardson.

Where is the surname Richardson most common?

Wikidata records people named Richardson in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Richardson?

Richardson is /ˈɹɪt͡ʃɚdsən/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname Richardson getting more or less common?

More common. 249,533 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 259,798 in 2010, up 4.1%.

Is Richardson also a first name?

Yes. Richardson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Richardson

A patronymic surname, the 80th most common in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈɹɪt͡ʃɚdsən/ 3 syllables Soundex R263

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Richardson is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

From Richard + -son.

Richardson is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 259,798 people named Richardson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,188 Americans. That is up 4.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 249,533.

#80

rank among US surnames

259,798

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.1%

change since 2000 (was #74)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#71	Peterson	278,297	1,109
#72	Bailey	277,845	1,111
#73	Reed	277,030	1,114
#74	Kelly	267,394	1,155
#75	Howard	264,826	1,166
#76	Ramos	263,464	1,172
#77	Kim	262,352	1,177

Who is named Richardson

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

60% of people named Richardson identified as white (not Hispanic), 34% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 60%
Black (not Hispanic) 34%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
Two or more races 2.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Richardsons

70 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Robert Coleman Richardson
American physicist, 1937–2013
Natasha Richardson
British actress (1963–2009)
Kevin Michael Richardson
American actor (born 1964)
Miranda Richardson
British actress, born 1958
Ralph Richardson
British actor (1902–1983)
Haley Lu Richardson
American actress, born 1995
Joely Richardson
British actress, born 1965
Sha'Carri Richardson
American sprinter, born 2000
Bill Richardson
American politician (1947–2023)
Jason Richardson
American basketball player (born 1981)
Kevin Richardson
American singer, member of the Backstreet Boys, born 1971
Robert Richardson
American cinematographer, born 1955

Notable Richardsons come mostly from the United States (57), the United Kingdom (8) and Australia (4).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Richardson

Richardson has the Soundex code R263, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R263.

Questions

Where does the surname Richardson come from?: From Richard + -son.
How common is the surname Richardson?: 259,798 people in the United States had the surname Richardson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,188 Americans. It ranked 80th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Richardson?: In the 2010 Census, 60% of people named Richardson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 34% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Richardson?: Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist, followed by Natasha Richardson.
Where is the surname Richardson most common?: Wikidata records people named Richardson in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Richardson?: Richardson is /ˈɹɪt͡ʃɚdsən/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is Richardson?: Richardson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Richardson getting more or less common?: More common. 249,533 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 259,798 in 2010, up 4.1%.
Is Richardson also a first name?: Yes. Richardson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.