2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rainieri
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Rainerio or Raniero, a variant of Rainier meaning "counsel" and "powerful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Rainieri. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rainieri 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Rainieri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainieri, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rainieri
The surname Rainieri originates from Italy and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "rainerio," which means "brave advisor." The name was likely first used to describe someone who was a wise counselor or a trusted advisor to a ruler or nobleman.
Rainieri is a variation of the Germanic name "Raginhari," which was composed of the elements "ragin" meaning "counsel" and "hari" meaning "army" or "warrior." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were skilled in military strategy or tactics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rainieri can be found in the Cartulario Genovese, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Genoa, which mentions a man named Rainieri Guarco in the 11th century. Another early reference is found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of Lombard charters, which includes a mention of a Rainieri de Cisterna in the 12th century.
In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname Rainieri was Rainieri da Perugia, a renowned Italian sculptor and architect who worked on the construction of the Cathedral of Orvieto. Another notable individual was Rainieri Sacchoni, a Florentine poet and historian who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
During the Renaissance period, the Rainieri family was a prominent noble family in Florence. One of the most famous members was Rainieri Pandolfini (1360-1427), a Florentine statesman and author who wrote the influential treatise "On the Noble Art of Governing a Family."
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Rainieri was Gian Vincenzo Rainieri (1588-1647), an Italian Baroque painter and architect who worked in Rome and Naples.
Another significant individual with the Rainieri surname was Massimo Rainieri (1882-1952), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in the government of Benito Mussolini during the Fascist era.
While the surname Rainieri is predominantly found in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and is now present in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rainieri
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainieri, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rainieri 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 Rainieri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rainieri
Rainieri 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,544 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,544 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 2,498 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 Rainieri 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 | #150,452 | #147,954 | 1.7% |
| Count | 109 | 112 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rainieri bearers went from 109 to 112 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 2,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #147,954.
FAQ
Rainieri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rainieri?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Rainieri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Rainieri?
Rainieri ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Rainieri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rainieri.
Has Rainieri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rainieri went from 109 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Rainieri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainieri, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rainieri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rainieri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rainieri (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 Rainieri mean?
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Rainerio or Raniero, a variant of Rainier meaning "counsel" and "powerful". 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 Rainieri (0.04 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 Rainieri?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Rainieri, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.