The Rice surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 149,500 people carried this name — #184 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,970 people counted. That is up 2% from 146,440 in 2000.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 99 births for the Rice name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Armagh, Louth, and Dublin.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 65 people named Rice.
28 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 12 départements, most often La Réunion.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
32 people named Rice live in Switzerland.
They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
54 people named Rice are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Rice in American newspapers,
1898–1921.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,740,530 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Rice,
with a public archive behind them.
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Ted Rice d. 1923 · jockey -
Maria Theresa Rice d. 1868 · poet -
William Rice d. 1588 · politician
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Charles Rice d. 1880 · playwright
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John Rice d. 1941 · journalist
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Sarah Rice d. 1842 · businessperson
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Rice.
- Ricci 11,534 · U.S. census
- Ricciardi 3,951 · U.S. census
- Ricciarelli 133 · U.S. census
- Riccio 4,169 · U.S. census
- Ricco 1,195 · U.S. census
- Riccobono 704 · U.S. census
- Rich 49,481 · U.S. census
- Richard 53,893 · U.S. census
- Richardet 180 · U.S. census
- Richards 130,529 · U.S. census
- Richardson 259,798 · U.S. census
- Richart 1,305 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Rice is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.