2000
#12,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Reamer
An occupational surname referring to a maker of tools used for enlarging or shaping holes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,328 Americans carry the last name Reamer. That puts it at #14,199 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reamer 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
2.3K
1 in 147,231
Census rank
#14,199
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,030 bearers of the surname Reamer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14199th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reamer
The surname Reamer is of Old English origin, derived from the word "ream," meaning "a narrow path or road." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century in the northern regions of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Northumbria, where many families with this name were concentrated.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Reamer can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1297, where a John le Remer was listed as a taxpayer. The variant spelling "le Remer" suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation associated with maintaining or traveling along narrow roads or paths.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Robert Remer was mentioned in 1348. This document provides valuable insight into the lives of individuals bearing this surname during that era.
The Reamer surname has a long history in England, with notable individuals bearing this name over the centuries. One such person was John Reamer (c. 1540-1612), a prominent merchant and landowner in Northamptonshire. Another was William Reamer (1687-1756), a respected clergyman and author from Dorset.
In the 17th century, the name Reamer began to appear in records associated with the British colonies in North America. One of the earliest known instances was Richard Reamer, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Thomas Reamer, born in 1668 in England, later immigrated to Pennsylvania and became a prominent figure in the early colonial history of that region.
As the centuries progressed, the Reamer surname continued to spread across different parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields. For example, Robert Reamer (1804-1847) was a renowned American architect and builder responsible for designing several notable structures in Baltimore, Maryland.
Other notable individuals with the surname Reamer include Charles Reamer (1857-1944), a pioneering American engineer and inventor; and George Reamer (1891-1966), a highly decorated American military officer who served in World War I and World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reamer
Among Census respondents with the surname Reamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Reamer 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 Reamer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,842
- Two or more races3.3% · 66
- Black or African American2.8% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reamer
Reamer 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
#13,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
+88 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 501 places
2020
#14,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,030
-261 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 883 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,815 | 2,203 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,316 | 2,291 | 0.78 | +88 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 501 places |
| 2020 | #14,199 | 2,030 | 0.68 | -261 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 883 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 Reamer 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 | #13,316 | #14,199 | -6.6% |
| Count | 2,291 | 2,030 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.68 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reamer bearers went from 2,291 to 2,030 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 883 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,316 to #14,199.
FAQ
Reamer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reamer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,328 living Americans carry the surname Reamer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,231 residents.
How common is Reamer?
Reamer ranks #14,199 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,030 people with the surname Reamer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Reamer.
Has Reamer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reamer went from 2,291 recorded bearers to 2,030. That is a decrease of 261 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,316 to #14,199.
What does the Census say about the background of Reamer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Reamer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reamer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Black (2.8%). 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 Reamer (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 Reamer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of tools used for enlarging or shaping holes. 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 Reamer (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Reamer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.