2000
#6,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Reber
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a grape vine or vineyard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,538 Americans carry the last name Reber. That puts it at #6,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,891 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reber 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
5.5K
1 in 61,891
Census rank
#6,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,829 bearers of the surname Reber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reber
The surname Reber is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. The name is derived from the German word "Reben," which means "vines" or "grapevines," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in viticulture or lived near vineyards.
The earliest recorded instance of the Reber surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various medieval records and documents from Bavaria. It is believed that the name may have been associated with certain place names in the region, such as Rebersdorf or Rebernitz, which contain the root "Reber" or variations of it.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Reber (1498-1559) was a prominent Protestant reformer and theologian from the city of Nuremberg. He played a significant role in the spread of Lutheranism in Bavaria and is remembered for his contributions to the Reformation.
Another individual of note was Johann Nepomuk Reber (1772-1843), a German painter and engraver from the city of Munich. He is particularly renowned for his engravings of religious subjects and his work in depicting scenes from the Bible.
Moving into the 19th century, Johann Michael Reber (1794-1858) was a German historian and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman architecture and art. His book, "Die Ruinen Roms und der Campagna" (The Ruins of Rome and the Campagna), published in 1840, is considered a seminal work in the field of Roman archaeology.
In the realm of music, Burkhard Reber (born 1961) is a contemporary German composer and conductor known for his works in classical and contemporary genres. He has received numerous awards and commissions for his compositions, which have been performed by renowned orchestras and ensembles worldwide.
Another notable figure is Hans Reber (1911-1969), a German-American physicist and engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early radio astronomy. He is credited with conducting the first observational experiments in radio astronomy, which paved the way for the modern study of the universe through radio waves.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Reber throughout history, originating from its German roots and spreading across various fields and disciplines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reber
Among Census respondents with the surname Reber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Reber 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 Reber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 4,432
- Two or more races3.3% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 59
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reber
Reber 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
#6,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,295
+157 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 279 places
2020
#6,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,829
-466 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 295 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,139 | 5,138 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,418 | 5,295 | 1.80 | +157 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 279 places |
| 2020 | #6,713 | 4,829 | 1.62 | -466 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 295 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 Reber 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 | #6,418 | #6,713 | -4.6% |
| Count | 5,295 | 4,829 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.62 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reber bearers went from 5,295 to 4,829 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 295 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,418 to #6,713.
FAQ
Reber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reber?
Name Census estimates that about 5,538 living Americans carry the surname Reber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,891 residents.
How common is Reber?
Reber ranks #6,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,829 people with the surname Reber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Reber.
Has Reber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reber went from 5,295 recorded bearers to 4,829. That is a decrease of 466 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,418 to #6,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Reber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Reber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (4,432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Reber (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 Reber mean?
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a grape vine or vineyard. 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 Reber (1.62 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 share the surname Reber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.