2000
#14,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,904
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Reigle
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bolts, locks, or door latches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,008 Americans carry the last name Reigle. That puts it at #16,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 170,694 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reigle 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
2.0K
1 in 170,694
Census rank
#16,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,751 bearers of the surname Reigle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reigle
The surname Reigle has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Reigel," which means "bolt" or "bar," referring to a type of locking mechanism. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with locks or other security devices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Reigle can be found in the city of Cologne, Germany, where a family with this surname was documented in the late 1500s. The name was also prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony during this time period.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as church registries and census documents, with variations in spelling, including Reigel, Reigl, and Reigle. One notable individual from this era was Johannes Reigle, a prominent merchant and landowner born in 1632 in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria.
As the centuries progressed, the name Reigle spread across various parts of Europe, with some families migrating to other countries. In the 18th century, a branch of the Reigle family settled in the Netherlands, where the name was recorded as Reigel.
One of the most notable figures bearing the surname Reigle was Friedrich Reigle, a German philosopher and academic born in 1785 in Heidelberg. He made significant contributions to the field of ethics and was widely respected during his time.
Another prominent individual was Hans Reigle, a German artist and sculptor born in 1842 in Munich. His works were highly acclaimed, and several of his sculptures can be found in various museums across Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Reigle also made its way to the United States, with immigrants from Germany and other European countries settling in various parts of the country. One such individual was Karl Reigle, born in 1856 in Baden, Germany, who later became a successful businessman in Pennsylvania.
As the 20th century approached, the name Reigle continued to be carried on by various individuals, including the American politician and lawyer Richard Reigle, born in 1918 in Ohio, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Overall, the surname Reigle has a rich history spanning several centuries and countries, with its origins rooted in the German language and possibly related to occupational roles in the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reigle
Among Census respondents with the surname Reigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Reigle 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 Reigle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 1,644
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 44
- Two or more races2.3% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reigle
Reigle 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
#14,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,001
+97 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 417 places
2020
#16,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,751
-250 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 1,186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,404 | 1,904 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,821 | 2,001 | 0.68 | +97 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 417 places |
| 2020 | #16,007 | 1,751 | 0.59 | -250 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 1,186 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 Reigle 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 | #14,821 | #16,007 | -8.0% |
| Count | 2,001 | 1,751 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.59 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reigle bearers went from 2,001 to 1,751 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 1,186 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,821 to #16,007.
FAQ
Reigle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reigle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,008 living Americans carry the surname Reigle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 170,694 residents.
How common is Reigle?
Reigle ranks #16,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,751 people with the surname Reigle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,008), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Reigle.
Has Reigle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reigle went from 2,001 recorded bearers to 1,751. That is a decrease of 250 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,821 to #16,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Reigle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) 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 Reigle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (1,644 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reigle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), 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 Reigle (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 Reigle mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bolts, locks, or door latches. 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 Reigle (0.59 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 share the surname Reigle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.