2000
#6,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Reiner
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleans or purifies, derived from the Middle High German "reinen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,488 Americans carry the last name Reiner. That puts it at #6,773 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,455 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reiner 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 Reiner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,455
Census rank
#6,773
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,786 bearers of the surname Reiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6773rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reiner
The surname Reiner is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "reinen," meaning "pure" or "clean." This name is thought to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked in a profession that required cleanliness, such as a launderer or a bleacher.
The earliest known record of the Reiner surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, where it is believed to have first emerged. In the medieval period, the name was often spelled as "Reinaer" or "Reyner."
In the 14th century, the Reiner surname appeared in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This suggests that the name had spread beyond Bavaria and into other parts of Germany by this time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Reiner surname was Johannes Reiner, a Catholic priest who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several church records from that period.
In the 16th century, the name Reiner appeared in the town of Ansbach, located in the modern-day German state of Bavaria. A notable figure from this era was Hans Reiner, a goldsmith who was born in Ansbach around 1510 and became a respected craftsman in the region.
During the 17th century, the Reiner surname gained prominence in the city of Frankfurt, where several individuals bearing this name were involved in various trades and professions. One example is Johann Reiner, a merchant who lived in Frankfurt in the mid-1600s and was known for his successful business ventures.
Another notable individual with the Reiner surname was Carl Christian Reiner, a German philosopher and theologian who lived in the 18th century (1701-1768). He was born in the town of Alfeld and made significant contributions to the field of natural theology.
In the 19th century, the Reiner surname spread further throughout Germany and into neighboring countries. One notable figure from this era was Gustav Reiner (1819-1892), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
As the name Reiner evolved over time, various place names and older spellings emerged. For example, the town of Reinerhausen in the German state of Hesse is believed to be derived from the Reiner surname, with "hausen" meaning "village" or "settlement" in German.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Reiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Reiner 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 Reiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 4,390
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 219
- Two or more races2.2% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 42
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reiner
Reiner 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
#6,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,202
+251 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 185 places
2020
#6,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,786
-416 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,337 | 4,951 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,522 | 5,202 | 1.76 | +251 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 185 places |
| 2020 | #6,773 | 4,786 | 1.60 | -416 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 251 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 Reiner 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 | #6,522 | #6,773 | -3.8% |
| Count | 5,202 | 4,786 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.60 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reiner bearers went from 5,202 to 4,786 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 251 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,522 to #6,773.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reiner
FAQ
Reiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reiner?
Name Census estimates that about 5,488 living Americans carry the surname Reiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,455 residents.
How common is Reiner?
Reiner ranks #6,773 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,786 people with the surname Reiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Reiner.
Has Reiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reiner went from 5,202 recorded bearers to 4,786. That is a decrease of 416 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,522 to #6,773.
What does the Census say about the background of Reiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Reiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (4,390 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Reiner (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 Reiner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleans or purifies, derived from the Middle High German "reinen." 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 Reiner (1.60 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 Reiner?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Reiner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.