The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Rygge farm, since the first church was built there.

An alternative explanation is that the word is derived from "rygg", which means "ridge", and related to place names like "Ryen" further east.

The "ridge" in question would be the end moraine that runs across the landscape here, from the other side of the fjord and stretching east through Sweden and into the Baltic region.

[6] Rygge Air Station replaced a temporary airfield constructed by German forces during World War II.

The contemporary airfield, northeast of the highway and main railway, is situated in Rygge and its neighbouring municipality Råde.

A civilian air terminal Moss Airport, Rygge, was opened in early 2008.

The airport was closed to all civilian traffic on 1 November 2016 after its main commercial operator, Ryanair, decided to shut down its base there.