2000
#12,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,375
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Reichenbach
A German toponymic surname referring to someone from any of several places called Reichenbach, meaning "rich stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,666 Americans carry the last name Reichenbach. That puts it at #12,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,565 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reichenbach 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 128,565
Census rank
#12,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,325 bearers of the surname Reichenbach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reichenbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reichenbach
The surname Reichenbach has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the German words "reich" meaning "rich" and "bach" meaning "stream" or "brook". This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a plentiful stream or river.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Reichenbach can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. In some cases, the name was also spelled as Reichenpach or Reichenbach, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One notable mention of the name Reichenbach is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a 14th-century collection of documents related to the Anhalt region of Germany. This suggests that the name was present in that area during that time period.
The Reichenbach surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Reichenbach im Vogtland, a town in the state of Saxony, and Reichenbach an der Fils, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg. These place names likely contributed to the spread and popularization of the surname in those regions.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Reichenbach. One example is Georg Reichenbach (1772-1826), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and classification.
Another prominent figure was Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (1824-1889), a German ornithologist and naturalist who specialized in the study of birds and published several influential works on avian taxonomy and behavior.
In the field of music, Walter Reichenbach (1901-1992) was a German composer and conductor who was known for his contributions to film and theater music in the 20th century.
The name Reichenbach also appears in the literary world, with Hans Reichenbach (1891-1953), a German-American philosopher and logician who made significant contributions to the philosophy of science and the study of probability theory.
Finally, Ulrich Reichenbach (born 1938) is a German film director and screenwriter who has directed several critically acclaimed films, including "The Tin Drum" (1979), which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reichenbach
Among Census respondents with the surname Reichenbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Reichenbach 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 Reichenbach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,173
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 67
- Two or more races2.3% · 54
- Black or African American0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reichenbach
Reichenbach 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
#12,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,463
+88 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 508 places
2020
#12,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,325
-138 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,058 | 2,375 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,566 | 2,463 | 0.83 | +88 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 508 places |
| 2020 | #12,680 | 2,325 | 0.78 | -138 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 114 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 Reichenbach 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 | #12,566 | #12,680 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,463 | 2,325 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.78 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reichenbach bearers went from 2,463 to 2,325 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,566 to #12,680.
FAQ
Reichenbach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reichenbach?
Name Census estimates that about 2,666 living Americans carry the surname Reichenbach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,565 residents.
How common is Reichenbach?
Reichenbach ranks #12,680 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 2,325 people with the surname Reichenbach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,666), 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 Reichenbach.
Has Reichenbach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reichenbach went from 2,463 recorded bearers to 2,325. That is a decrease of 138 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,566 to #12,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Reichenbach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reichenbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Reichenbach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,173 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reichenbach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Reichenbach (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 Reichenbach mean?
A German toponymic surname referring to someone from any of several places called Reichenbach, meaning "rich stream." 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 Reichenbach (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 Reichenbach?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.