2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ranier
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a region called Rainier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Ranier. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ranier 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Ranier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ranier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ranier
The surname Ranier is of French origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy in northern France. The name is thought to be derived from the Old French word "rainier," which means a deer hunter or forester. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in hunting or forestry occupations.
In the 11th century, following the Norman conquest of England, many Norman families with names like Ranier settled in various parts of Britain. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Ranier was Ranier of Pistoia, an Italian mathematician and philosopher who lived in the 13th century (c. 1200-1260). He was known for his contributions to the development of algebra and his work on the theory of equations.
Another prominent Ranier was Ranier Grimaldi (1619-1701), a prince of Monaco who ruled from 1662 to 1701. During his reign, he oversaw the construction of several fortifications and the expansion of Monaco's territory.
In the 16th century, a French explorer and navigator named Jacques Ranier (c. 1535-1598) accompanied Jacques Cartier on his voyages to Canada and helped establish French settlements in the New World.
The surname Ranier can also be found in various place names, such as Rainier, a city in Oregon, and Mount Rainier, a prominent volcano in Washington state, both named after Rear Admiral Peter Rainier (1741-1808), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ranier include Alfred Ranier (1872-1947), an Austrian painter and printmaker known for his landscape and architectural works, and Toni Ranier (1920-1992), an Austrian actress and singer who appeared in several German films during the 1940s and 1950s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ranier
Among Census respondents with the surname Ranier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ranier 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 Ranier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 87
- Black or African American5.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ranier
Ranier 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-23 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,752 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-12 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,008 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 29,752 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 5,008 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 Ranier 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 | #151,532 | #156,540 | -3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 96 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ranier bearers went from 108 to 96 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 5,008 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #156,540.
FAQ
Ranier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ranier?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Ranier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Ranier?
Ranier ranks #156,540 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 96 people with the surname Ranier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), 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 Ranier.
Has Ranier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ranier went from 108 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 12 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Ranier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ranier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ranier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ranier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ranier (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 Ranier mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a region called Rainier. 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 Ranier (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 many people have the last name Ranier?
You can see how many people are called Ranier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.