2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Recar
A surname derived from the French word "recarier," meaning someone who transported goods by cart or wagon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Recar. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Recar 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Recar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Recar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Recar
The surname RECAR originated in France during the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "recarier", which meant "to carry again" or "to reload". This occupation-based surname was likely given to those who transported goods or worked as porters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RECAR surname can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Savigny, a medieval manuscript from the year 1198. It mentions a certain "Petrus Recar" who lived in the village of Savigny-le-Vieux in the region of Burgundy.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Recart", "Recars", and "Recarez". These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling at the time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the RECAR surname was Jean Recar, a merchant from the city of Lyon. He is mentioned in several trade records from 1367, indicating his involvement in the transportation of goods along the Rhône River.
The RECAR surname can also be traced back to the village of Recars in the Auvergne region of central France. This place name, first recorded in 1289, may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that area.
In the 15th century, a prominent individual named Jacques Recar (1421-1498) was a respected scholar and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Paris from 1481 until his death.
Another notable RECAR was Pierre Recar (1523-1589), a French Protestant reformer and writer who authored several religious texts during the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the RECAR surname spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Germany, where it was sometimes spelled as "Reckar" or "Reckar".
One of the most famous individuals with the RECAR surname was the French artist and engraver, Jacques-Philippe Recar (1677-1754), renowned for his intricate etchings and illustrations.
As the centuries passed, the RECAR surname continued to be found across various regions of France, with families bearing this name contributing to various aspects of society, including academia, the arts, and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Recar
Among Census respondents with the surname Recar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Recar 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 Recar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 100
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Recar
Recar 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+11 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,043 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 2,043 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Recar 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Recar bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Recar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Recar?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Recar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Recar?
Recar ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Recar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Recar.
Has Recar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Recar went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Recar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Recar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Recar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Recar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Recar (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 Recar mean?
A surname derived from the French word "recarier," meaning someone who transported goods by cart or wagon. 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 Recar (0.04 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 are called Recar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Recar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.