2000
#2,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,708
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.08
Uncommon Last name
Rea
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ríogh," meaning "descendant of the king."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,616 Americans carry the last name Rea. That puts it at #2,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,628 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rea surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rea with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,628
Census rank
#2,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,490 bearers of the surname Rea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rea, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rea
The surname REA has its origins in Scotland and England, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ra," which means a roe or small deer. This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname for someone who lived near an area frequented by deer or who had a deer-like appearance or characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it is spelled as "de Raa." The Pipe Rolls were administrative records maintained by the English Exchequer during the reign of Henry II. This early spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been a locative surname, referring to someone who lived near a place associated with deer.
In Scotland, the name REA appears in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. For example, John de Rea is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which contain the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This record suggests that the REA family held a position of some importance in medieval Scotland.
The Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname REA. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Raa in Yorkshire and Reades in Surrey.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname REA. One of the earliest was John Rea (c. 1470 - 1539), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Glasgow from 1530 until his death. Another prominent figure was Henry Rea (1612 - 1670), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1670.
In the literary world, the name is associated with writers such as Lilian Rea (1879 - 1949), an American novelist and short story writer, and Alastair Reid (1926 - 2014), a Scottish poet and scholar who gained recognition for his work on Spanish literature.
Other notable individuals with the surname REA include Samuel Rea (1822 - 1904), an American industrialist and financier who served as the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and John Rea (1755 - 1829), a prominent American Presbyterian minister and educator who co-founded the University of Pennsylvania.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rea
Among Census respondents with the surname Rea, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rea bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.7% · 10,103
- Hispanic or Latino24.8% · 3,591
- Two or more races2.6% · 380
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 194
- Black or African American0.9% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 88
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rea
Rea appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,819
+1,111 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 5.02
Rank movement Down 20 places
2020
#2,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,490
-329 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.85
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,423 | 13,708 | 5.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,443 | 14,819 | 5.02 | +1,111 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 20 places |
| 2020 | #2,437 | 14,490 | 4.85 | -329 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 6 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rea surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,443 | #2,437 | 0.2% |
| Count | 14,819 | 14,490 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.02 | 4.85 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rea bearers went from 14,819 to 14,490 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,443 to #2,437.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rea
FAQ
Rea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rea?
Name Census estimates that about 16,616 living Americans carry the surname Rea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,628 residents.
How common is Rea?
Rea ranks #2,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,490 people with the surname Rea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Rea.
Has Rea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rea went from 14,819 recorded bearers to 14,490. That is a decrease of 329 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,443 to #2,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Rea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rea, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.7% (10,103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.7%), Hispanic (24.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rea (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rea mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ríogh," meaning "descendant of the king." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rea (4.85 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Rea?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.