2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rannebarger
A surname derived from a German place name meaning "mountain stream dweller".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Rannebarger. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rannebarger 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Rannebarger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rannebarger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rannebarger
The surname RANNEBARGER is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the late Middle Ages or Early Modern period. It is thought to be derived from a German place name or occupational term, possibly related to a wooded area or a person who lived near a rann, meaning a wooded ridge or boundary.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the German church records of the 16th century, where variations such as Ranneberger, Rannebarger, and Rannenberger appear. These early spellings suggest a connection to the German word "rann" or a specific place name containing that element.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the RANNEBARGER surname began to appear in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Palatinate. During this time, many German families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas, which may have contributed to the spread of the name.
One notable early bearer of the RANNEBARGER name was Johann Ranneberger, a German woodcarver and sculptor who lived in the late 16th century. His work can still be found in churches and museums throughout southern Germany.
Another individual of historical significance was Christoph Rannebarger, a German-born artist who emigrated to the American colonies in the mid-18th century. His portraits and landscapes from the colonial era are considered important examples of early American art.
In the 19th century, the RANNEBARGER surname appeared in records from various parts of the United States, suggesting that multiple families with this name had immigrated from Germany. One prominent figure was William Rannebarger, a Civil War veteran and politician from Ohio who served in the state legislature in the 1870s.
Another notable RANNEBARGER was Amelia Rannebarger, an educator and women's rights advocate from Pennsylvania who founded several schools and worked to promote educational opportunities for women in the late 19th century.
In the early 20th century, the name RANNEBARGER gained some recognition through the work of Heinrich Rannebarger, a German-American botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the American Southwest.
While the RANNEBARGER surname is not among the most common, its presence throughout history and across various regions of the world reflects its deep German roots and the migration patterns of families who bore this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rannebarger
Among Census respondents with the surname Rannebarger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rannebarger 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 Rannebarger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 108
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rannebarger
Rannebarger 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,322 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 1,322 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Rannebarger 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rannebarger bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Rannebarger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rannebarger?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Rannebarger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Rannebarger?
Rannebarger ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Rannebarger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Rannebarger.
Has Rannebarger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rannebarger went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Rannebarger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rannebarger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Rannebarger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rannebarger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Rannebarger (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 Rannebarger mean?
A surname derived from a German place name meaning "mountain stream dweller". 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 Rannebarger (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 many people are called Rannebarger?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Rannebarger, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.