2000
#11,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,523
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Ranney
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "raven island" or "border island."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,829 Americans carry the last name Ranney. That puts it at #12,070 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ranney 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
2.8K
1 in 121,157
Census rank
#12,070
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,467 bearers of the surname Ranney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12070th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ranney, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ranney
The surname Ranney is believed to have originated in England, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "randen," meaning a boundary or border, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a particular boundary or frontier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Randene." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century and may have been associated with a specific location or landholding.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Ranney, Ranny, Rainey, and Raney. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the evolving nature of English orthography.
In the 13th century, records mention a William Ranny, a landowner in Lincolnshire, England. This provides evidence of the name's continued presence in medieval England and its association with landed gentry.
During the 16th century, the surname Ranney appeared in the town of Brecknock, Wales, where a notable figure named John Ranney was a member of the local gentry. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its English roots and gained a foothold in neighboring regions.
In the 17th century, the name gained further prominence with the birth of Isaac Ranney (1638-1703), a prominent merchant and shipowner in Boston, Massachusetts. His descendants played significant roles in the American colonial period and the early years of the United States.
Another notable figure with the surname Ranney was Ambrose Arnold Ranney (1821-1899), a renowned American painter and portraitist. He was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, and gained fame for his depictions of historical scenes and portraits of influential figures.
In the late 19th century, Melville Beveridge Ranney (1858-1919) made his mark as a renowned architect and designer. He was responsible for several notable buildings in Washington, D.C., including the Ellipse and the E. Francis Riggs Memorial Library.
The surname Ranney has also been associated with notable figures in the legal profession, such as Arthur Ranney (1900-1981), a prominent American lawyer and legal scholar who served as the Assistant Attorney General of the United States during the Truman administration.
Throughout its history, the surname Ranney has maintained a presence in various fields, from business and the arts to law and architecture, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and historical fabric of multiple nations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ranney
Among Census respondents with the surname Ranney, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ranney 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 Ranney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,214
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 112
- Two or more races3.8% · 93
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ranney
Ranney 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
#11,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,707
+184 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 141 places
2020
#12,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,467
-240 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,456 | 2,523 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,597 | 2,707 | 0.92 | +184 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 141 places |
| 2020 | #12,070 | 2,467 | 0.83 | -240 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 473 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 Ranney 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 | #11,597 | #12,070 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,707 | 2,467 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.83 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ranney bearers went from 2,707 to 2,467 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 473 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,597 to #12,070.
FAQ
Ranney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ranney?
Name Census estimates that about 2,829 living Americans carry the surname Ranney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,157 residents.
How common is Ranney?
Ranney ranks #12,070 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,467 people with the surname Ranney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,829), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ranney.
Has Ranney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ranney went from 2,707 recorded bearers to 2,467. That is a decrease of 240 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,597 to #12,070.
What does the Census say about the background of Ranney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ranney, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ranney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ranney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ranney (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 Ranney mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "raven island" or "border island." 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 Ranney (0.83 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 Ranney?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Ranney, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.