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

Rainey, 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 Rainey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rainey in America

Rainey is the 1545th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rainey surname appeared 23,291 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Rainey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rainey 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 Rainey

The surname Rainey is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "regn" meaning rain. It was originally a descriptive name given to someone who lived near a rainy area or whose land was prone to heavy rainfall.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rainey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Reigni" and "Reigney". This suggests that the name was well-established in parts of England by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was commonly spelled as "Rayne", "Raynee", and "Rayney". It was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Staffordshire, where many places bore names derived from the Old English word "regn", such as Rainhill, Rainford, and Rainow.

Noteworthy historical figures with the surname Rainey include Sir Thomas Rainey (c. 1510-1582), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1573. Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir William Rainey (1587-1655), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Aldborough.

In Scotland, the Rainey family can trace their roots to the 16th century, with records indicating that a John Rainey was a burgess of Aberdeen in 1568. The name was also present in Ireland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Rainey was Sir William Rainey Harper (1856-1906), an American academic and the first president of the University of Chicago. Other notable Raineys include Thomas Rainey (1843-1876), an American soldier and recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, and Freda Rainey (1887-1963), an American archaeologist and anthropologist who conducted extensive research in Alaska.

Throughout history, the surname Rainey has been associated with various industries, professions, and walks of life, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name. From politicians and landowners to academics and soldiers, the Rainey family has left an indelible mark on the annals of history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rainey

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

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 Rainey 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 Rainey 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 Rainey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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