2000
#106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 195,598
First available Census row
Per 100,000 72.51
Common Last name
Reynolds
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Reynold," a Germanic given name meaning "ruler's counsel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 219,831 Americans carry the last name Reynolds. That puts it at #125 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 64.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reynolds 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 Reynolds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
220K
1 in 1,559
Census rank
#125
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
64.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
192K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 191,703 bearers of the surname Reynolds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 64.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reynolds, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reynolds
The surname Reynolds originates from England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a derivation of the Old English words "ren" meaning "stream" and "healh" meaning "nook" or "corner of land". The surname Reynolds would have initially referred to someone who lived near a stream or in a corner of land by a stream.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various early records and manuscripts such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 which listed a Reynold de Bernham in Norfolk. The Domesday Book of 1086 did not include the surname Reynolds, but it did feature the personal name Reynold which was likely the root from which the surname later emerged.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Reynolds is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a William Reynolds is listed. Another early instance is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1301, which mentions a John Reynold.
The surname Reynolds is also associated with several place names in England, such as Reynolds Cross in Somerset, Reynolds Wood in Shropshire, and Reynolds Park in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or referred to locations where individuals with the surname Reynolds once lived or owned land.
Notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Reynolds include:
1. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), a renowned English portrait painter and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts.
2. Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016), an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her roles in films like "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown".
3. Walter Reynolds (c. 1350-1327), an English priest who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1313 to 1327.
4. John Reynolds (1549-1607), an English Catholic martyr and Franciscan friar who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
5. Alastair Reynolds (born 1966), a British science fiction author known for works such as the Revelation Space series and the novel "House of Suns".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reynolds
Among Census respondents with the surname Reynolds, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Reynolds 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 Reynolds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 149,356
- Black or African American12.9% · 24,802
- Two or more races4.3% · 8,241
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 6,772
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,297
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,235
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reynolds
Reynolds 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
#121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200,247
+4,649 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 67.89
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191,703
-8,544 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 64.14
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #106 | 195,598 | 72.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121 | 200,247 | 67.89 | +4,649 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #125 | 191,703 | 64.14 | -8,544 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 4 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 Reynolds 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 | #121 | #125 | -3.3% |
| Count | 200,247 | 191,703 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 67.89 | 64.14 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reynolds bearers went from 200,247 to 191,703 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #121 to #125.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reynolds
FAQ
Reynolds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reynolds?
Name Census estimates that about 219,831 living Americans carry the surname Reynolds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,559 residents.
How common is Reynolds?
Reynolds ranks #125 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 64.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 64 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 191,703 people with the surname Reynolds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (219,831), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 64.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 64.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 64 of them to have the surname Reynolds.
Has Reynolds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reynolds went from 200,247 recorded bearers to 191,703. That is a decrease of 8,544 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #121 to #125.
What does the Census say about the background of Reynolds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reynolds, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Reynolds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (149,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reynolds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Reynolds (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 Reynolds mean?
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Reynold," a Germanic given name meaning "ruler's counsel." 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 Reynolds (64.14 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 Reynolds?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.