2000
#62,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Rehr
A surname derived from a habitational name referring to someone from a place called Rehr.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 307 Americans carry the last name Rehr. That puts it at #77,203 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,116,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rehr 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
307
1 in 1,116,464
Census rank
#77,203
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
268
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 268 bearers of the surname Rehr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77203rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rehr
The surname REHR is of German origin, traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "rēr," meaning "reed" or "cane." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a reed-covered area or worked with reeds.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Rēr," "Rēre," or "Rērer" in various medieval documents from regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. These variations reflect the influence of local dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
The first documented instance of the name REHR can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a renowned historical chronicle published in 1493. This record mentions a certain "Hans Rērer" from the town of Nördlingen, born around 1420.
Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Rehr (1451-1518), a German priest and theologian from Erfurt, who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig and authored several scholarly works on religious doctrine.
In the 16th century, the name REHR gained prominence through the figure of Georg Rehr (1524-1592), a German Renaissance painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, particularly his engravings of biblical scenes and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime and are still studied by art historians today.
Moving into the 17th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of Philipp Rehr (1610-1682), a German mathematician and astronomer from Nuremberg. He made significant advancements in the field of celestial mechanics and published influential treatises on the motions of planets and comets.
The 18th century saw the rise of Johann Gottfried Rehr (1724-1798), a German composer and organist from Leipzig. His compositions, primarily for the organ and church choirs, were widely performed and praised for their melodic beauty and technical proficiency.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname REHR throughout history, but they illustrate the name's deep roots in German culture and its association with various fields of intellectual and artistic endeavor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rehr
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rehr 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 Rehr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 17
- Two or more races2.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rehr
Rehr 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
#68,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 288
-11 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 5,768 places
2020
#77,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 268
-20 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 8,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,577 | 299 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #68,345 | 288 | 0.10 | -11 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 5,768 places |
| 2020 | #77,203 | 268 | 0.09 | -20 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 8,858 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 Rehr 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 | #68,345 | #77,203 | -13.0% |
| Count | 288 | 268 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rehr bearers went from 288 to 268 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 8,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #68,345 to #77,203.
FAQ
Rehr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rehr?
Name Census estimates that about 307 living Americans carry the surname Rehr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,116,464 residents.
How common is Rehr?
Rehr ranks #77,203 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 268 people with the surname Rehr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Rehr.
Has Rehr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rehr went from 288 recorded bearers to 268. That is a decrease of 20 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #68,345 to #77,203.
What does the Census say about the background of Rehr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rehr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rehr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Rehr (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 Rehr mean?
A surname derived from a habitational name referring to someone from a place called Rehr. 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 Rehr (0.09 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 Rehr?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Rehr, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.