Find out how popular the last name Reineke is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Reineke.

Reineke, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Reineke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reineke in America

Reineke is the 18166th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reineke surname appeared 1,532 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Reineke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reineke to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Reineke

The surname Reineke is of German origin, emerging in the 14th century from the Low German personal name Reineke or Reynke, itself derived from the Germanic name Raginhard, meaning "counsel" and "hardy". It was originally a nickname for someone with a fox-like or cunning personality, as the name Reineke (Reynard) became associated with the trickster fox character in medieval fables and literature.

One of the earliest known references to the Reineke surname is found in the 1425 manuscript of the Middle Low German satirical epic "Reynke de Vos" (Reynard the Fox), which popularized the name and its association with cunning behavior. The name appears in various spellings, such as Reinicke, Reynek, and Reyneke, in historical records from northern Germany and the Low Countries.

In the 15th century, a prominent figure with the surname was Johann Reineke (1430-1507), a German printer and publisher from the city of Erfurt. He is credited with introducing printing to the region and producing several notable works, including the first printed edition of the "Reynke de Vos" in 1498.

Another notable bearer of the name was Christoph Reineke (1603-1668), a German Baroque composer and organist from Halle. He served as the court organist for the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst and is best known for his organ works, which influenced the development of the North German organ school.

In the 18th century, Johann Georg Reineke (1738-1806) was a German pastor and author from the city of Lüneburg. He wrote several religious works and served as a pastor in various churches in northern Germany.

The Reineke surname has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Reinekendorf and Reinekendorf-Wohnpark, which are districts of Berlin. These place names likely derive from the personal name Reineke and its association with early settlements or landowners in those areas.

While the surname Reineke is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich historical legacy that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the cultural traditions and literature of northern Germany and the Low Countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reineke

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Reineke.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Reineke was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Reineke has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Reineke was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Reineke, please contact us.

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