Explore the Family Name Ryu

The meaning of Ryu

Korean: variant of Yu 20. Compare Ryoo. Some characteristic forenames: Korean Seung, In, Jae, Ji, Young, Chi, Jung, Kwang, Sang, Sung, Won, Chang Soo, Chul, Jae Choon, Byung Soo, Chang, Choon, Chung, Eunsoon, Hae, Hee Young, Hye Kyung, Inhee, Jae In.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ryu in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Ryu has increased significantly between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Ryu was ranked 17,588th in terms of popularity but jumped to 11,543rd place by 2010, marking a remarkable change of 34.37%. The count of individuals bearing this surname also rose from 1,473 in 2000 to 2,723 in 2010, showing an impressive growth rate of 84.86%. Proportionally, for every 100,000 people, those with the surname Ryu increased from 0.55 in 2000 to 0.92 in 2010, demonstrating a 67.27% increase.

20002010Change
Rank#17,588#11,54334.37%
Count1,4732,72384.86%
Proportion per 100k0.550.9267.27%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ryu

When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that most bearers of the surname Ryu are of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. This group grew from constituting 94.23% of Ryus in 2000 to 96% in 2010, an increase of 1.88%. Individuals identifying as belonging to two or more races saw a slight rise from 1.29% to 1.32%. However, the percentage of Ryus that identified as White declined by 44.77%, from 3.73% to 2.06%. Those who identified as Hispanic also decreased slightly from 0.54% in 2000 to 0.44% in 2010. Interestingly, there were no recorded instances of individuals with the Ryu surname identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, but by 2010, Black individuals made up 0.18% of the Ryu population.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander94.23%96%1.88%
White3.73%2.06%-44.77%
Two or More Races1.29%1.32%2.33%
Hispanic0.54%0.44%-18.52%
Black0%0.18%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%