Rech last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Rech

A surname likely derived from words meaning "powerful" or "noble" in German or Slavic languages.

Rech, 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 Rech surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rech in America

Rech is the 17274th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rech surname appeared 1,639 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rech.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rech 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 17274 17426 -0.88%
Count 1,639 1,492 9.39%
Proportion per 100k 0.56 0.55 1.80%

The history of the last name Rech

The surname RECH has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "rechen," meaning "to reckon" or "to account." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation, such as a financial clerk or accountant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RECH can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Marchiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the year 1368. The name is listed as "Reche" in these records.

In the 16th century, the name RECH began to appear in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. During this period, variations in spelling, such as "Rech," "Recht," and "Reche," were common due to inconsistencies in recordkeeping and regional dialects.

One notable individual with the surname RECH was Johannes Rech, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1525 to 1598. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.

In the 17th century, the RECH surname spread to other parts of Europe, including France and the Netherlands. One example is Pieter Rech, a Dutch painter who lived from 1610 to 1677 and was known for his landscapes and still-life paintings.

As the name continued to evolve, it took on various forms, such as "Reiche" and "Reichert." Some of these variations are believed to have originated from place names, such as "Reichenau," an island in Lake Constance, Germany.

In the 19th century, the RECH surname gained prominence in the United States due to German immigration. One notable figure was Johann Rech, a German-American farmer and politician who lived from 1819 to 1892. He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and was instrumental in establishing German settlements in Wisconsin.

Another individual of note was Carl Rech, a German-American architect who lived from 1865 to 1932. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Auditorium Building and the Fine Arts Building.

Throughout its history, the surname RECH has been associated with various occupations and professions, including accounting, theology, art, politics, and architecture. Its evolution from an occupational name to a widely recognized surname reflects the rich cultural heritage and diversity of the regions where it has been found.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rech

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

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 Rech was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.80% 1,521
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.34% 22
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.73% 12
Hispanic Origin 4.51% 74

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.80% 95.24% -2.60%
Black (S)% 0.74% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.34% 0.87% 42.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.73% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 4.51% 2.68% 50.90%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Rech last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/rech-surname-popularity/.

"Rech last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/rech-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Rech last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/rech-surname-popularity/.

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