2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Reighn
A variant spelling of the English surname "Reign", possibly derived from the French "régner" meaning "to rule".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Reighn. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reighn 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Reighn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reighn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reighn
The surname REIGHN originates from the Scottish Lowlands, likely emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "regn," meaning "reign" or "rule," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name held positions of authority or leadership within their communities.
Records indicate that the REIGHN surname first appeared in the Dunfermline area of Fife, Scotland. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list a William de Reygne among those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 14th century, the name is recorded in various spellings, such as Reigne, Reignie, and Regnie, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. The nearby village of Reignton, mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of 1365, may have been named after a local landowner with the REIGHN surname.
Notable historical figures bearing the REIGHN surname include Sir James Reigne (1520-1587), a Scottish military commander who served under Mary, Queen of Scots, and played a pivotal role in the Rough Wooing conflict against England. Another prominent individual was Robert Reighn (1638-1718), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and hospitals in Edinburgh.
In the 17th century, the REIGHN surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including England and Ireland. One notable bearer was Sir Thomas Reighn (1675-1743), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire from 1708 to 1734.
In the 18th century, the name is found in the annals of the American colonies, with records showing a John Reighn (1718-1795) who served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
The REIGHN surname has a rich history, rooted in the Scottish Lowlands and reflecting the region's linguistic and cultural heritage. Its association with positions of authority and leadership has endured over centuries, carried by individuals who left their mark in various fields, from military and politics to commerce and philanthropy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reighn
Among Census respondents with the surname Reighn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Reighn 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 Reighn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 111
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reighn
Reighn 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
#114,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+14 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,699 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-34 bearers (-22.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,364 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #114,424 | 153 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,699 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -34 bearers (-22.2%) | Down 28,364 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 Reighn 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 | #114,424 | #142,788 | -24.8% |
| Count | 153 | 119 | -22.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reighn bearers went from 153 to 119 (-22.2% change). The surname moved down 28,364 positions in the national ranking, going from #114,424 to #142,788.
FAQ
Reighn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reighn?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Reighn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Reighn?
Reighn ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Reighn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Reighn.
Has Reighn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reighn went from 153 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 34 (-22.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #114,424 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Reighn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reighn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Reighn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reighn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (5.0%), 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 Reighn (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 Reighn mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname "Reign", possibly derived from the French "régner" meaning "to rule". 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 Reighn (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 many people are called Reighn?
Want to know how many people have the surname Reighn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.