Explore the Family Name Richey
The meaning of Richey
1. German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name based on rīc ‘power(ful)’ (see Reich), or from the female personal name Rikheit, from rīc + suffix -heit ‘way of being’. This surname is rare in Germany. 2. Probably also an Americanized form of German Reiche or Ritsche (see Ritchey 2). 3. English and northern Irish: variant of Ritchie.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Richey in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Richey has seen minor fluctuations between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Richey ranked as the 1839th most popular surname in the U.S., with a total count of 17,950 individuals bearing this name. A decade later, in 2010, its rank dropped to 1977th, despite an increase in the count to 18,296. This implies that while more people were named Richey, other surnames saw a greater rate of increase. The proportion of people named Richey per 100,000 also slightly decreased by 6.77% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,839 | #1,977 | -7.5% |
| Count | 17,950 | 18,296 | 1.93% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.65 | 6.2 | -6.77% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Richey
When it comes to the ethnic identity of people bearing the surname Richey, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts from 2000 to 2010. Most notably, there was a significant increase in those identifying as two or more races, which jumped by 75.93%. Also notable was the increase in those identifying as Hispanic, which rose by 65.54%, and Asian/Pacific Islander, which increased by 34.38%. Meanwhile, the majority of individuals with the surname Richey identified as White, although this percentage decreased slightly by 2.79% over the ten-year period. The number of those identifying as Black rose marginally by 6.05%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw an increase of 26%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.19% | 86.7% | -2.79% |
| Black | 7.44% | 7.89% | 6.05% |
| Hispanic | 1.48% | 2.45% | 65.54% |
| Two or More Races | 1.08% | 1.9% | 75.93% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.5% | 0.63% | 26% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.32% | 0.43% | 34.38% |
Richey ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Richey is British & Irish, which comprises 56.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.3%) and Eastern European (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 56.4% |
| French & German | 24.3% |
| Eastern European | 3.7% |
| Other | 15.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Richey
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Richey have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
What Richey haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Richey is R-A431, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-A431 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and R-Z326, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Ritchie, Schafer, Knight, Keller, Hill, Miller, Kohler, Boyce, White, Martin.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Richey surname are: T2b, H, H1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Richey have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Richey" Surname 46.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Richey" Surname 27.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Richey" Surname 25.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Richey" Surname 16.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Richey?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Richey are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition