2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Reichbach
A surname denoting someone from a place called Reichbach.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Reichbach. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reichbach 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Reichbach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reichbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reichbach
The surname Reichbach is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is a toponymic name, derived from a place name that refers to a stream or brook. The prefix "reich" translates to "rich" or "abundant," while "bach" means "brook" or "stream." This suggests that the name originated from a location near a bountiful or substantial stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Reichbach can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 11th century. The name appears in a record dated 1067, referring to a landowner named Hermannus de Reichbach from the region of Saxony.
During the 13th century, the name Reichbach was also documented in the city of Nuremberg, where it was associated with a prominent family involved in the local textile trade. Notable members of this family included Johannes Reichbach (c. 1250-1312), a successful merchant and landowner, and his son, Konrad Reichbach (c. 1280-1348), who served as a city councilor.
In the 15th century, the name Reichbach gained recognition through the work of Johann Reichbach (c. 1420-1492), a renowned scholar and theologian from Erfurt. His treatises on religious philosophy and his contributions to the early humanist movement earned him respect among his contemporaries.
The name Reichbach has also been associated with several notable figures in the field of music. One such example is the German composer and organist Johann Friedrich Reichbach (1676-1749), who was known for his instrumental works and sacred compositions.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Reichbach (1801-1875), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Palatinate region in southwestern Germany. His works, such as "Geschichte des Rheinkreises" (History of the Rhine District), are considered valuable sources for understanding the region's past.
Over the centuries, the name Reichbach has undergone various spellings and variations, including Reichenbach, Reichenbach, and Reichenbach. These variations often reflect regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reichbach
Among Census respondents with the surname Reichbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Reichbach 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 Reichbach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 11
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reichbach
Reichbach 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,270 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-12 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,891 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,270 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 12,891 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 Reichbach 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 | #131,379 | #144,270 | -9.8% |
| Count | 129 | 117 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reichbach bearers went from 129 to 117 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 12,891 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #144,270.
FAQ
Reichbach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reichbach?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Reichbach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Reichbach?
Reichbach ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Reichbach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Reichbach.
Has Reichbach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reichbach went from 129 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Reichbach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reichbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) 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 Reichbach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reichbach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Hispanic (9.4%), 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 Reichbach (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 Reichbach mean?
A surname denoting someone from a place called Reichbach. 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 Reichbach (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 Reichbach?
If you just want to know how common the surname Reichbach is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.