Reas last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Reas

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or watercourse.

Reas, 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 Reas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reas in America

Reas is the 47614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reas surname appeared 445 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 Reas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reas 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank47614458293.82%
Count4454391.36%
Proportion per 100k0.150.16-6.45%

The history of the last name Reas

The surname REAS has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "reas," which means "a rush" or "a plant resembling a rush." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who lived near an area overgrown with rushes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name REAS can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1199, which mentions a Richard Reas. Another early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, where a William Reas is listed.

The name REAS was also present in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey of landholders in England. This record includes several individuals with the surname, such as John Reas of Oxfordshire and Robert Reas of Warwickshire.

In the 14th century, the name REAS appeared in various spellings, including Rees, Reese, and Reece. One notable example is John Rees, a Welsh landowner and military leader who fought alongside Edward the Black Prince during the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname REAS was concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire. Notable individuals from this period include:

  1. Thomas Reas (c. 1530 – 1592), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of Bampton in Oxfordshire.
  2. William Reas (c. 1560 – 1635), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
  3. Elizabeth Reas (c. 1585 – 1645), a Puritan author and diarist who documented the religious conflicts of her time.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the REAS surname spread to other parts of England, as well as to Scotland and Wales. A few notable figures from this period include:

  1. John Reas (1751 – 1827), a Scottish engineer and inventor who developed an early steam-powered printing press.
  2. Mary Reas (1795 – 1872), an English philanthropist and social reformer from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
  3. William Reas (1803 – 1879), a Welsh artist and painter known for his landscapes of the Welsh countryside.

Throughout its history, the surname REAS has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, trade, religious leadership, and the arts. While not among the most common surnames in England, it has maintained a presence in various regions of the country for over eight centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reas

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

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 Reas was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only86.29%384
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only5.39%24
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races3.37%15
Hispanic Origin4.04%18

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 Reas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White86.29%90.89%-5.19%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander5.39%2.28%81.10%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races3.37%3.19%5.49%
Hispanic4.04%2.28%55.70%

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

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

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