2000
#11,864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Regis
A regal surname derived from the Latin word meaning "of the king" or "kingly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,636 Americans carry the last name Regis. That puts it at #9,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,267 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Regis 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Regis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,267
Census rank
#9,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,171 bearers of the surname Regis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Regis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.3%) and Hispanic (12.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Regis
The surname Regis has its origins in France, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "rex," meaning "king," and is believed to have initially been a nickname given to those who exhibited regal or noble qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Regis can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landholder named Reginaldus Regis, indicating the presence of the name in Norman England during this period.
Throughout the centuries, the Regis surname has been associated with various notable figures. One such individual was Jean-Baptiste Regis, a French Jesuit priest and missionary who lived from 1597 to 1640. He dedicated his life to serving the poor and marginalized communities in the south of France and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Another prominent bearer of the Regis name was Régis Debray, a French philosopher and theorist born in 1940. He is best known for his writings on revolutionary theory and his involvement in the Cuban Revolution, having fought alongside Che Guevara in the 1960s.
In the literary realm, the Regis surname is associated with Marie-Catherine Desjardins, Madame de Villedieu, a French novelist and playwright who lived from 1640 to 1683. She was a prominent figure in the literary circles of her time and is remembered for her contributions to the development of the novel genre.
The name Regis has also been linked to various places and locations throughout history. For instance, the town of Regis-Breitingen in Saxony, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from a person named Regis or a variation of the name.
Over the centuries, the Regis surname has undergone various spellings and variations, including Regiss, Regisse, Regisz, and Regiszter, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions.
It is worth noting that while the surname Regis has a rich history, it is essential to approach historical records and accounts with a critical eye, as some details may have been subject to embellishment or inaccuracies over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Regis
Among Census respondents with the surname Regis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.3%) and Hispanic (12.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Regis 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 Regis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American44.6% · 1,415
- White31.3% · 994
- Hispanic or Latino12.6% · 400
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.0% · 255
- Two or more races3.0% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Regis
Regis 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
#10,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,076
+660 bearers (+27.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 1,411 places
2020
#9,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,171
+95 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 691 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,864 | 2,416 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,453 | 3,076 | 1.04 | +660 bearers (+27.3%) | Up 1,411 places |
| 2020 | #9,762 | 3,171 | 1.06 | +95 bearers (+3.1%) | Up 691 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 Regis 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 | #10,453 | #9,762 | 6.6% |
| Count | 3,076 | 3,171 | 3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 1.06 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Regis bearers went from 3,076 to 3,171 (+3.1% change). The surname moved up 691 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,453 to #9,762.
FAQ
Regis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Regis?
Name Census estimates that about 3,636 living Americans carry the surname Regis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,267 residents.
How common is Regis?
Regis ranks #9,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,171 people with the surname Regis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,636), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Regis.
Has Regis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Regis went from 3,076 recorded bearers to 3,171. That is an increase of 95 (+3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,453 to #9,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Regis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Regis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.3%) and Hispanic (12.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Regis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (1,415 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Regis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (44.6%), White (31.3%), Hispanic (12.6%). 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 Regis (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 Regis mean?
A regal surname derived from the Latin word meaning "of the king" or "kingly." 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 Regis (1.06 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 Regis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.