The Richey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 18,296 people carried this name — #1,977 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 16,100 people counted. That is up 2% from 17,950 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Richey surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Richard’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 645 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

111 families named Richey, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 613 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 61
South Carolina 14
Virginia 11
North Carolina 8
Maryland 6
New York 4
New Hampshire 3
Massachusetts 2
Maine 1
Vermont 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 259 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Richey in American newspapers,
1922.

Newspaper page from Casper Daily Tribune carrying the name Richey
Casper Daily Tribune 1922-07-12
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Richey
The Laramie Republican 1922-07-12
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Richey
The Laramie Republican 1922-07-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Richey in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

2,337 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Richey. The most, 529, date from the 1910s. Queensland has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 750
Victoria 552
New South Wales 457
Western Australia 445
ACT (Canberra) 56
Tasmania 32
South Australia 27

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Richey.

Who carried it

People named Richey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Michael Richey
    Michael Richey 1678–1761 · writer
  • Matthew Henry Richey
    Matthew Henry Richey 1828–1911 · lawyer
  • Joseph Richey
    Joseph Richey 1843–1877
  • John A. Richey d. 1847 · military officer
  • Alice Richey Dyer d. 1927
  • Matthew Richey 1803–1883 · author

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Richey,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,079 records

1,079 records of the Richey name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 647
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 242
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 58
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 57
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 29
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 21
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 20
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Alton B. Richey

    Born 1911 in Texas. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; filling station attendant. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Loraine Cemetery, Colorado City, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Thomas Earl Richey

    Born 1933; from Atlanta, Georgia. U.S. Army, motor transport operator; killed in action 1968 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Richey

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Chaos from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Cork, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,079 records for Richey in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia92 records

92 records of the Richey name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 46
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 37
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 5
  • Tasmanian Names Index 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Rose Richey

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the John Bull, arriving 1821; certificate of freedom 1828.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Richey

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Hanover, as an infant; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Richard Ralph Richey

    Administration offcr of Blackburn, Victoria; died 1994.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 92 records for Richey in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada49 records

49 records of the Richey name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 44
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Earl Richey

    Buried in 1992 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 87.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maud A. Richey

    Died 1927 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Robert Edwin Richey

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 49 records for Richey in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Germany18 records

18 records of the Richey name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Heinrich Richey

    Born 1895; from Braunschweig. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 4 January 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Richey

    From Hameln. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 4 May 1916 (Reserve Field Artillery Regiment No. 14).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Richey

    From Geestemünde. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 16 June 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 175).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Richey in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Richey name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Richey

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. D. Richey

    Second Lieutenant. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record R. A. Richey

    Second Lieutenant. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Richey name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gilbert Louis Mary Richey

    Born 1929 in Nancy; died 1995 in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Richey name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Hermann Richey

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Richey.

When the index is not enough

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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.

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