Reynaldo
A Spanish masculine name derived from Reinaldo, meaning "vigorous ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 17,041 living Americans carry the first name Reynaldo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Reynaldo today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reynaldo births was 1991 (345 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reynaldo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
17K
~ 1 in 20,114 Americans
Peak year
1991
345 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,783
Tracked since 1908
Census
Reynaldo in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 29,282 people with the first name Reynaldo, which placed it at #1,271 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#1,271
National first-name rank
People counted
29K
29,282 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
9.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
79.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reynaldo
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reynaldo is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.2%) and White (1.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Reynaldo described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Reynaldo at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.2% · 23,177
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.2% · 5,040
- White1.7% · 502
- Black or African American1.3% · 382
- Two or more races0.5% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 47
Gender
Gender distribution for Reynaldo
Out of the 20,472 babies given the name Reynaldo since 1880, 99.9% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Reynaldo as a male name
- Ranked #1,783 in 2024
- 92 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1991 (345 births)
Reynaldo as a female name
- Ranked #13,370 in 1988
- 5 female births in 1988
- Peak: 1971 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Reynaldo appears almost entirely male. Of the 29,284 people counted with this name, 99.8% were male and only a very small share were female.
Popularity
Reynaldo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reynaldo from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 2,841 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reynaldo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Reynaldo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Reynaldos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 23 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Reynaldo, while South Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 761 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Reynaldo
The name Reynaldo finds its origins in the Germanic languages, deriving from the compound words "ragin" meaning "counsel" and "wald" meaning "ruler" or "power." It emerged during the medieval period, initially taking the form "Reinald" or "Reinold" before evolving into the modern Spanish and Italian spelling of "Reynaldo."
One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be traced back to the 8th century, when it appeared in the Frankish epic poem "The Song of Hildebrand." In this work, the character Reinald is portrayed as a skilled warrior and advisor to the Frankish king.
The name also gained prominence in religious circles, particularly during the Crusades. Reynaldo of Châtillon, a French nobleman and military leader, played a significant role in the Third Crusade during the late 12th century. His exploits and controversial actions were documented by various chroniclers of the time.
In the realm of literature, the name Reynaldo has been used for notable characters. One such example is the character of Reynaldo in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," where he is portrayed as a courtier and confidant to the Prince of Denmark.
Throughout history, several individuals have borne the name Reynaldo and left their mark. One notable figure was Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947), a Venezuelan-born French composer and conductor known for his contributions to the French art song genre.
Another prominent Reynaldo was Reynaldo Bignone (1892-1971), an Argentine jurist and statesman who served as the President of Argentina from 1963 to 1966.
In the realm of sports, Reynaldo Gutiérrez (1928-2005) was a Mexican football player and manager who represented his country in the 1950 FIFA World Cup.
Additionally, Reynaldo Gianecchini (born 1972) is a Brazilian actor and model who has gained recognition for his performances in telenovelas and films.
The name Reynaldo also has historical significance in religious contexts. Reynaldo Carvalho (1919-2001) was a Brazilian Catholic bishop who served as the Archbishop of Salvador da Bahia from 1977 until his retirement in 1996.
These examples highlight the diverse backgrounds and fields in which individuals named Reynaldo have left their mark throughout history, spanning literature, politics, sports, entertainment, and religion.
People
Reynaldo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reynaldo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Reynaldo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reynaldo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17,041 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reynaldo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 20,114 US residents.
Is Reynaldo a common name?
We classify Reynaldo as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20,472 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reynaldo most popular?
The single biggest year for Reynaldo was 1991, when 345 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reynaldo is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Reynaldo in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 29,282 people with the name Reynaldo, or 9.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #1,271 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Reynaldo in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Reynaldo?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Reynaldo appears almost entirely male. Of the 29,284 people counted with this name, 99.8% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Reynaldo?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reynaldo is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.2%) and White (1.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Reynaldo most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Reynaldo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (23,177 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Reynaldo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Reynaldo a male name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Reynaldo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Reynaldo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Reynaldo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Reynaldo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Reynaldo as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.