was, to my knowledge, first known in the area immediately around Oxford, England several hundred years ago.  It is likely that the Richens name comes from a common Germanic family name Richen or Reich meaning powerful or of noble descent.  Richens began immigrating to the US as early as the late 1700s, but spiked in 1886 when a good number left from Oxfordshire via the port town of Liverpool

In the early 1900s, according to US Federal Census records, Richens families were most concentrated in Utah, with notable numbers in CA, TX, IA, AR, TN, IN, PA, NY, and NJ.  Interestingly enough, although the highest numbers were in UT, there were no Richens in WY, NV, CO, AZ, or NM.

It is important to note that the proper spelling is ‘Richens’ and not ‘Richins’ - the latter was conceived much later, upon immigration in 1886, either by error or as an attempt to americanize the name.  There are no ‘Richins’ that originated in Europe, only here in America, though we share the same ancestors from Oxfordshire.