2000
#1,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,768
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.96
Uncommon Last name
Reeder
An occupational surname referring to a reader or one who advises or counsels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,071 Americans carry the last name Reeder. That puts it at #1,919 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,267 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reeder 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 Reeder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,267
Census rank
#1,919
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,375 bearers of the surname Reeder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1919th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reeder
The surname Reeder is an English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "redere," meaning a thatcher or reed-cutter. It originated in the 12th century in various parts of England, particularly in regions where reed-cutting and thatching were common trades.
In the early 13th century, the name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire, indicating its presence in that county during that time period. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also recorded several individuals with the surname Reeder in various counties, such as Richard le Redere in Oxfordshire and John le Redere in Sussex.
The surname Reeder has been documented in various historical records throughout the centuries. For instance, in the 14th century, the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire, where a Thomas le Redere was listed as a taxpayer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Reeder can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex, dated 1310, which mentions a John le Redere. Additionally, the Hertfordshire Assize Rolls of 1341 contained an entry for a William le Redere.
In the 16th century, the surname Reeder was sometimes spelled as "Reder" or "Redder." One notable individual from this period was Sir William Reder (c. 1545-1624), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex.
Other notable individuals with the surname Reeder include Andrew Reeder (1807-1864), an American politician who served as the first governor of the Kansas Territory, and Rudolph Reeder (1872-1940), a German-American actor and director active in the early years of Hollywood.
In the literary world, the surname Reeder is associated with Rex Reeder (1914-1976), an American author and journalist who wrote several novels and non-fiction works. Another notable figure is Charles Reeder (1902-1974), an American physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
Overall, the surname Reeder has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, actors, authors, and scientists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reeder
Among Census respondents with the surname Reeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Reeder 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 Reeder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 14,989
- Black or African American9.9% · 1,810
- Two or more races3.9% · 708
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 551
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 127
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reeder
Reeder 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
#1,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,155
+387 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 6.49
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#1,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,375
-780 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 6.15
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,750 | 18,768 | 6.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,874 | 19,155 | 6.49 | +387 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #1,919 | 18,375 | 6.15 | -780 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 45 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 Reeder 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 | #1,874 | #1,919 | -2.4% |
| Count | 19,155 | 18,375 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.49 | 6.15 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reeder bearers went from 19,155 to 18,375 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,874 to #1,919.
FAQ
Reeder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reeder?
Name Census estimates that about 21,071 living Americans carry the surname Reeder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,267 residents.
How common is Reeder?
Reeder ranks #1,919 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,375 people with the surname Reeder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,071), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Reeder.
Has Reeder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reeder went from 19,155 recorded bearers to 18,375. That is a decrease of 780 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,874 to #1,919.
What does the Census say about the background of Reeder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Reeder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (14,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reeder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Black (9.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Reeder (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 Reeder mean?
An occupational surname referring to a reader or one who advises or counsels. 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 Reeder (6.15 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 have the last name Reeder?
See how many people have the surname Reeder on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.