2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Oberreuter
A German surname indicating someone from upper Reut, an area in southern Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Oberreuter. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oberreuter 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.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Oberreuter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberreuter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oberreuter
The surname OBERREUTER has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas of present-day Germany and Austria. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
OBERREUTER is a compound surname, derived from the German words "ober" meaning "upper" and "reuter" or "reiter," which refers to a rider or a mounted soldier. It likely originated as a descriptive name, referring to someone who lived in an upper or elevated area or who worked as a rider or messenger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OBERREUTER can be found in the historical records of the town of Oberreute in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, dating back to the 16th century. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with this particular location or a similar place name.
Notable individuals who bore the surname OBERREUTER throughout history include Johann Georg Oberreuter (1684-1756), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works. Another notable figure was Johann Georg Oberreuter (1749-1815), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen.
In the 19th century, Carl Oberreuter (1832-1904) was a German architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in his native city of Stuttgart. Additionally, Gustav Oberreuter (1887-1962) was a German politician and member of the Nazi Party who served as the Gauleiter of the regional branch in Swabia.
Lastly, Hans Oberreuter (1937-2022) was a German political scientist and university professor who specialized in the study of political systems and comparative politics. He was widely recognized for his contributions to the field and served as the rector of the University of Augsburg from 1986 to 1994.
While the surname OBERREUTER has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical significance and ties to its Germanic origins remain evident in its linguistic composition and the notable individuals who have carried this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oberreuter
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberreuter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Oberreuter 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 Oberreuter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oberreuter
Oberreuter appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 4,442 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 Oberreuter 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 | #159,712 | #155,270 | 2.8% |
| Count | 101 | 101 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oberreuter bearers went from 101 to 101 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 4,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #155,270.
FAQ
Oberreuter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oberreuter?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Oberreuter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Oberreuter?
Oberreuter ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Oberreuter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oberreuter.
Has Oberreuter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oberreuter went from 101 recorded bearers to 101. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Oberreuter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberreuter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Oberreuter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oberreuter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Oberreuter (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 Oberreuter mean?
A German surname indicating someone from upper Reut, an area in southern Germany. 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 Oberreuter (0.03 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 common is the surname Oberreuter?
You can see how common the surname Oberreuter is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.