Ryder is an English surname from the Old English ridere and means "horseman" or "mounted warrior"; it was given to someone who rode or delivered messages on horseback. Like many surnames ending in -er it became a first name in America only recently. Ryder rose from number 797 in 2000 into the top 100 in 2012, peaked at number 95 in 2014 and ranks 133rd among boys in 2025.