2000
#6,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Reinert
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleans or cards wool, derived from Middle High German "reiner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,117 Americans carry the last name Reinert. That puts it at #7,215 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reinert 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
5.1K
1 in 66,983
Census rank
#7,215
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,462 bearers of the surname Reinert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7215th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reinert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reinert
The surname REINERT is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria. It is derived from the German word "Rein," meaning "pure" or "clean," combined with the suffix "-ert," indicating an occupation or characteristic. The name likely referred to a person who worked as a cleaner or maintained purity in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the REINERT name can be found in the Bavarian town of Regensburg, where a certain Reinhart Reinert was mentioned in a tax record from 1327. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
During the 16th century, the REINERT name appeared in various Germanic regions, including the Palatinate and Saxony. In 1572, a Johannes Reinert from the town of Worms was listed as a member of the local guild of tanners, indicating the family's involvement in the leather industry.
The REINERT surname gained further prominence in the 17th century, with several notable figures bearing the name. Johann Reinert (1612-1679), a renowned theologian and philosopher from Strasbourg, authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy. Meanwhile, in the city of Nuremberg, the Reinert family established a successful metalworking business that continued for generations.
As the name spread throughout the German-speaking world, it also found its way into other European regions. In the 18th century, a branch of the REINERT family settled in the Netherlands, where Pieter Reinert (1734-1811) became a respected merchant and civic leader in Amsterdam.
The 19th century saw the REINERT name cross the Atlantic, with many German immigrants carrying the surname to the United States and other parts of the New World. One notable example is Carl Reinert (1856-1932), a German-American architect who designed several iconic buildings in Chicago, including the Auditorium Theatre.
Throughout its long history, the REINERT surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artisans, merchants, and professionals. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, the name continues to carry a sense of purity and diligence, reflecting the values of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reinert
Among Census respondents with the surname Reinert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Reinert 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 Reinert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 4,187
- Two or more races2.7% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 32
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reinert
Reinert 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
#6,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,450
+717 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Up 336 places
2020
#7,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,462
-988 bearers (-18.1%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 946 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,605 | 4,733 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,269 | 5,450 | 1.85 | +717 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 336 places |
| 2020 | #7,215 | 4,462 | 1.49 | -988 bearers (-18.1%) | Down 946 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 Reinert 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 | #6,269 | #7,215 | -15.1% |
| Count | 5,450 | 4,462 | -18.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.49 | -19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reinert bearers went from 5,450 to 4,462 (-18.1% change). The surname moved down 946 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,269 to #7,215.
FAQ
Reinert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reinert?
Name Census estimates that about 5,117 living Americans carry the surname Reinert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,983 residents.
How common is Reinert?
Reinert ranks #7,215 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,462 people with the surname Reinert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Reinert.
Has Reinert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reinert went from 5,450 recorded bearers to 4,462. That is a decrease of 988 (-18.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,269 to #7,215.
What does the Census say about the background of Reinert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reinert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (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 Reinert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (4,187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reinert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (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 Reinert (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 Reinert mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleans or cards wool, derived from Middle High German "reiner." 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 Reinert (1.49 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 Reinert?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Reinert? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.