Ritchey
An English and Scottish surname ultimately from the personal name Richard, with Ritchey developing as a spelling variant of Richie/Ritchie.
The #4,019 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,910 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ritchey is a surname formed from the medieval personal name Richard, which comes from Old Germanic roots meaning roughly “strong power” or “hard/ruler.” In this surname family, the form Ritchey is best understood as a later spelling variant alongside Richie, Ritchie, Richards, and Richardson. The ending reflects English surname formation rather than a separate word with a distinct meaning.
History
Historical surname dictionaries often group Ritchey with other Richard-based surnames, especially Richie and Ritchie. The spelling is more common in North America than in Britain, where Richie/Ritchie are usually more familiar forms. Because the name is a variant spelling, its history is tied to the widespread medieval popularity of Richard after the Norman period.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Many surnames in this family were originally just different ways of writing the same underlying nickname for Richard, before spelling became standardized.
From the historical record
“the author of x^ublished sermons, lived 1707-81. Mr. RiTCH is a graduate of Yale. Rich is a very common name. We have Ritcher, Ritchey, and Ritchie. A late election resulted in the loss to Mr. Poore of a barrel of apples. Mr. Poorman is suing for his rights at Washington, January, 1859. By an exchange of currency…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)