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

Reinelt, 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 Reinelt surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Reinelt in America

Reinelt is the 127186th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reinelt surname appeared 124 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Reinelt.

The history of the last name Reinelt

The surname Reinelt is of German origin and is believed to date back to the medieval period. It is a surname that likely originated from the regions of Germany, specifically in territories that comprised the Holy Roman Empire. This name was prevalent in areas such as Saxony, Bavaria, and other central German states. The name Reinelt is derived from old Germanic personal names featuring similar roots, such as Reynold, which itself comes from the Germanic elements "ragin" meaning "advice" or "counsel," and "wald" meaning "rule." This implies that the initial bearer of the name could have been a person of authority or wisdom.

Historical references to the name Reinelt appear in various medieval documents and charters. One of the earliest instances recorded was in the 13th century in Saxony when a Heinrich Reinelt is mentioned as a landowner. By the 14th century, the surname had spread to adjacent regions, with other landholders and notable figures bearing the name. In a 1356 merchant guild registry of Leipzig, a Ludolf Reinelt is listed as a member, suggesting the Reinelt family's involvement in commerce and trade during this period.

One particularly significant historical figure with the name Reinelt is Johann Reinelt, born in 1542 and who lived until 1601. He was noted for his contributions to early modern chemistry and alchemy. Another notable individual was Wilhelm Reinelt, a 17th-century Bavarian jurist known for his work on local law compilations in Nuremberg. By the 18th century, the Reinelt surname became associated with academia; Friedrich Reinelt, born in 1715, was a theologian and philosopher who greatly influenced Enlightenment thought in southern Germany.

In literature, Clara Reinelt, born in 1822 and deceased in 1887, was an influential poet and novelist whose works are still studied for their depiction of 19th-century life in Prague, a city with a significant German-speaking population at the time. Moving into the modern period, one finds Otto Reinelt, an early 20th-century engineer born in 1893, recognized for his innovations in machine tool design.

Throughout history, the Reinelt surname has been linked with various professions and societal roles, spanning from landownership and trade in medieval times to contributions in science, law, literature, and engineering. This rich tapestry of bearers illustrates the surname's deep-rooted presence in German-speaking regions and its evolution through European history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reinelt

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Reinelt 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.

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 Reinelt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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