2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rehwald
A German surname derived from words meaning "deer" and "forest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Rehwald. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rehwald 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Rehwald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rehwald
The surname Rehwald is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German words "reh," meaning deer, and "wald," meaning forest or woods. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a forested area inhabited by deer.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Rehwald can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to the year 1387. These records document a certain "Hanns Rehwald" who was a skilled huntsman employed by the local nobility.
In the 16th century, the Rehwald name appears in various church registries and tax records across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. A notable bearer of the name during this time was Matthias Rehwald (1510-1581), a Protestant reformer and theologian from Wittenberg.
As the surname spread across German-speaking lands, it underwent minor spelling variations such as Rehwalt, Rehwald, and Rewald. In the 18th century, Johann Georg Rehwald (1720-1792) was a respected philosopher and professor at the University of Göttingen.
During the 19th century, the Rehwald name found its way to other parts of Europe and even overseas as German emigrants sought new opportunities. One such individual was Karl Rehwald (1832-1907), a Prussian-born businessman who established a successful trading company in Cape Town, South Africa.
Another notable bearer of the Rehwald name was Theodor Rehwald (1855-1932), a German-American composer and conductor who worked in New York City and contributed to the city's vibrant musical scene.
As the centuries passed, the Rehwald surname continued to spread across the globe, with bearers of the name making contributions in various fields, from academia to the arts and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rehwald
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rehwald 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 Rehwald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rehwald
Rehwald 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,404 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,715 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,404 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,715 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 Rehwald 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 | #145,220 | #150,935 | -3.9% |
| Count | 114 | 108 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rehwald bearers went from 114 to 108 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,715 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,935.
FAQ
Rehwald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rehwald?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Rehwald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Rehwald?
Rehwald ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Rehwald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rehwald.
Has Rehwald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rehwald went from 114 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Rehwald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Rehwald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rehwald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%), Black (0.9%). 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 Rehwald (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 Rehwald mean?
A German surname derived from words meaning "deer" and "forest". 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 Rehwald (0.04 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 Rehwald?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Rehwald, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.