2000
#29,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Rare Last name
Reh
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a German or Dutch personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,595 Americans carry the last name Reh. That puts it at #5,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reh 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
6.6K
1 in 51,972
Census rank
#5,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,751 bearers of the surname Reh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.9%. The next largest groups are White (11.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reh
The surname REH is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "reh," which translates to "deer" or "roe deer." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near or had a close association with deer.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the surname REH can be found in the parish records of the town of Großenhain, located in the present-day German state of Saxony. These records, dating back to the late 1500s, include entries for individuals with the surname REH, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 17th century, the surname REH began to appear in various historical documents and records across different regions of Germany. For instance, the name was mentioned in the tax records of the city of Nuremberg in the early 1600s, indicating that individuals bearing this surname were residing and contributing to the local economy at that time.
One notable individual with the surname REH was Johann Gottfried Reh (1677-1743), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Margrave of Bayreuth. His compositions, which included works for organ and harpsichord, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the development of Baroque music in Germany.
Another significant figure was Friedrich Reh (1820-1892), a German-American architect and civil engineer. Born in Prussia, he immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and worked on several prominent architectural projects, including the design of the Milwaukee County Courthouse and the Wisconsin State Capitol building.
In the 19th century, the surname REH also gained prominence in the literary world with the German writer Heinrich Reh (1828-1884). He was a novelist and playwright known for his works depicting rural life and the struggles of the working class in Germany during the Industrial Revolution.
Other notable individuals bearing the surname REH include Johann Christian Gottlieb Reh (1759-1837), a German theologian and author, and Karl Reh (1884-1967), a German historian and educator who specialized in the study of ancient Greek and Roman history.
While the surname REH has roots in Germany and has been documented since the 16th century, it has since spread to other parts of the world, likely due to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old German word "reh," reflecting its connection to the natural world and the significance of deer in the early Germanic cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reh
Among Census respondents with the surname Reh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.9%. The next largest groups are White (11.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Reh 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 Reh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.9% · 4,996
- White11.8% · 679
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 47
- Two or more races0.3% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reh
Reh 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
#8,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,734
+2,992 bearers (+403.2%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 21,093 places
2020
#5,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,751
+2,017 bearers (+54.0%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Up 2,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,873 | 742 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,780 | 3,734 | 1.27 | +2,992 bearers (+403.2%) | Up 21,093 places |
| 2020 | #5,799 | 5,751 | 1.92 | +2,017 bearers (+54.0%) | Up 2,981 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 Reh 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 | #8,780 | #5,799 | 34.0% |
| Count | 3,734 | 5,751 | 54.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.92 | 51.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reh bearers went from 3,734 to 5,751 (+54.0% change). The surname moved up 2,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,780 to #5,799.
FAQ
Reh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reh?
Name Census estimates that about 6,595 living Americans carry the surname Reh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,972 residents.
How common is Reh?
Reh ranks #5,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 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 5,751 people with the surname Reh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 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 Reh.
Has Reh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reh went from 3,734 recorded bearers to 5,751. That is an increase of 2,017 (+54.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,780 to #5,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Reh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.9%. The next largest groups are White (11.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Reh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (4,996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.9%), White (11.8%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Reh (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 Reh mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a German or Dutch personal name. 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 Reh (1.92 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 common is the surname Reh?
You can see how many people have the surname Reh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.