Renner
One meaning derived from German, signifying a runner or racer.
Name Census estimates that about 575 living Americans carry the first name Renner. It is a predominantly male name (94.8% of registrations). The average person named Renner today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Renner births was 2018 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Renner. 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
575
~ 1 in 596,095 Americans
Peak year
2018
48 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,493
Tracked since 1904
Gender
Gender distribution for Renner
Renner leans heavily male at 94.8% of total registrations, but 31 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Renner as a male name
- Ranked #3,493 in 2024
- 33 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (42 births)
Renner as a female name
- Ranked #15,262 in 2018
- 6 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1909 (7 births)
Popularity
Renner: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Renner from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 317 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Renner remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Renner 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 Renner during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Renners live
Origin
Meaning and history of Renner
The name Renner is a German name derived from the Middle High German word "renner," which means "runner" or "courier." It dates back to the 12th century and was likely originally an occupational name given to messengers or runners who delivered messages and goods on foot.
During the Middle Ages, the name Renner was found primarily in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was a relatively common name among the working class and often associated with those involved in trade and commerce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Renner can be found in a 14th-century document from the city of Nuremberg, where a man named Hans Renner is mentioned as a merchant. In the 15th century, a German priest and theologian named Hugo Renner gained prominence for his writings on religious reform and his critique of the Catholic Church's practices.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Renner was Johannes Renner, a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry. He was born in 1561 and is best known for his work "Opus Palatinum de Triangulis," published in 1596.
Another prominent individual with the name Renner was Johann Renner, a German philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a proponent of Protestant theology and wrote extensively on religious topics.
In the 19th century, a German painter named August Renner (1799-1859) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Germany. His works are celebrated for their attention to detail and realistic portrayal of the German countryside.
While the name Renner has its roots in German culture and language, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and cultural exchange. However, its historical significance and association with occupations such as messengers and couriers remain deeply rooted in its German heritage.
People
Renner + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Renner 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
Renner: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Renner?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 575 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Renner 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 596,095 US residents.
Is Renner a common name?
We classify Renner as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 597 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Renner most popular?
The single biggest year for Renner was 2018, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Renner is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Renner a male name?
Yes, 94.8% of people registered as Renner 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.
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.