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

Reach, 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 Reach surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reach in America

Reach is the 20601st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reach surname appeared 1,286 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Reach.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reach 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 Reach

The surname REACH is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word 'ræcc', meaning 'a brook or stream'. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small watercourse or stream.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname REACH can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Rache'. This suggests that the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname REACH was prevalent in the county of Worcestershire, where it was often associated with the village of Reach, located near the River Avon. This village likely derived its name from the same Old English root as the surname.

One notable early bearer of the surname REACH was John Reach (c. 1325 - 1398), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the reign of King Edward III.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname REACH was also found in various parts of southern England, including the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. In these regions, the name was sometimes spelled as 'Reache' or 'Reche'.

A significant figure from this period was Barnaby Reach (1542 - 1621), an English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Windsor and Registrar of the Order of the Garter under Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 18th century, the surname REACH gained prominence in the field of education with the birth of Benjamin Reach (1718 - 1798), a renowned schoolmaster and author of several influential textbooks on arithmetic and grammar.

Another noteworthy individual was Admiral Sir Erasmus Reach (1759 - 1824), a highly decorated British naval officer who served with distinction during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

By the 19th century, the surname REACH had spread across various parts of the British Empire, with notable bearers such as Alfred Reach (1840 - 1906), a renowned Australian cricketer and one of the first truly professional players in the sport's history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reach

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!