2000
#12,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,315
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Regnier
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "kingdom" or "royal domain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,682 Americans carry the last name Regnier. That puts it at #12,607 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,798 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Regnier 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
2.7K
1 in 127,798
Census rank
#12,607
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,339 bearers of the surname Regnier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12607th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Regnier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Regnier
The surname Regnier originated in medieval France, specifically in the regions of Normandy and Brittany, around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Reignier," which itself stems from the Germanic name "Raginhar," meaning "counsel" and "army." The name was likely brought to Britain after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Regnier can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rainerius" and "Reinerus." These entries suggest that the name was already present in England by the late 11th century, likely carried by Norman settlers.
In the 13th century, the name Regnier appeared in various spellings, including "Reignier," "Reigner," and "Renyer," in records from Normandy and the surrounding regions. It was also associated with several place names, such as Reignier-Esery in Haute-Savoie, France, and Reignier in Vienne, France.
One notable bearer of the surname Regnier was Pierre Regnier (1573-1642), a French lawyer and magistrate who served as the Lieutenant Civil of Paris from 1610 to 1642. Another was Jacques Regnier (1588-1652), a French dramatist and poet who was considered one of the leading playwrights of the era.
In England, the name Regnier was sometimes anglicized to "Rayner" or "Rainer." One prominent individual with this surname was Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1554-1618), the famous English writer, poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer who played a significant role in the English colonization of North America.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jean-Baptiste Regnier (1655-1709), a French dramatist and satirist who was elected to the Académie Française in 1688. He is best known for his satirical comedies and his work as a librettist for the composer André Campra.
In the 19th century, Edmond Regnier (1836-1908) was a French painter and engraver who was closely associated with the Impressionist movement. He was particularly known for his landscape paintings and etchings of Paris and its suburbs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Regnier
Among Census respondents with the surname Regnier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Regnier 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 Regnier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,093
- Black or African American3.4% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 72
- Two or more races2.9% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Regnier
Regnier 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
#12,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,488
+173 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#12,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,339
-149 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,317 | 2,315 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,476 | 2,488 | 0.84 | +173 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #12,607 | 2,339 | 0.78 | -149 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 131 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 Regnier 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 | #12,476 | #12,607 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,488 | 2,339 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Regnier bearers went from 2,488 to 2,339 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,476 to #12,607.
FAQ
Regnier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Regnier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,682 living Americans carry the surname Regnier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,798 residents.
How common is Regnier?
Regnier ranks #12,607 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,339 people with the surname Regnier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,682), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Regnier.
Has Regnier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Regnier went from 2,488 recorded bearers to 2,339. That is a decrease of 149 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,476 to #12,607.
What does the Census say about the background of Regnier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Regnier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Regnier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,093 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Regnier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Black (3.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Regnier (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 Regnier mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "kingdom" or "royal domain." 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 Regnier (0.78 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 Regnier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.