Find out how popular the last name Rainer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rainer.

Rainer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rainer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rainer in America

Rainer is the 9255th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rainer surname appeared 3,518 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rainer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rainer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rainer

The surname Rainer originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Raginhari, which means "counsel" or "advice." This name was later Latinized to Rainerus or Raynerus during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rainer can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Rastedensis, a cartulary from the 12th century that records the transactions and property holdings of the Rastede Monastery in northern Germany. This document mentions individuals with the surname Rainer, indicating its use in that region during that time period.

The name Rainer is also believed to have been associated with certain place names in Germany, such as Rainersbach and Rainertshausen. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Rainer who lived in or owned land in those areas.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Rainer of Viterbo (c. 1185-1244) was an Italian priest and hagiographer who wrote extensively about the lives of saints. His work, Legenda Sanctorum, was an influential collection of saint biographies during the Middle Ages.

Another historical figure with the surname Rainer was Johann Rainer (1532-1594), a German astronomer and mathematician who worked on improving the accuracy of astronomical calculations and published various works on the subject.

In the 16th century, Caspar Rainer (c. 1565-1624) was a German engraver and printmaker known for his intricate and detailed copperplate engravings, many of which depicted religious and allegorical scenes.

Moving into the 18th century, Johann Baptist Rainer (1741-1810) was an Austrian botanist and priest who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and classification, particularly in the field of bryology (the study of mosses).

In the 19th century, Georg Rainer (1805-1865) was an Austrian painter and lithographer known for his landscape paintings and lithographs depicting scenes from the Austrian Alps and other picturesque locations.

Throughout its history, the surname Rainer has been associated with individuals from various professions and backgrounds, including religious figures, scientists, artists, and scholars, reflecting its enduring presence across different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rainer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rainer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rainer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rainer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rainer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rainer, please contact us.

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