2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Reininga
A habitational name for someone from a place called Reininga.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Reininga. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reininga 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Reininga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reininga, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reininga
The surname Reininga has its roots in the Netherlands, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "reinen," meaning "clean" or "pure," and was likely an occupational name given to those involved in the cleaning trade or textile industry.
One of the earliest known records of the name Reininga can be found in the Dutch parish registers of the late 1500s, where it is spelled as "Reyninga." This variant spelling suggests a potential connection to the Dutch city of Reinen, which may have influenced the name's origin.
In the 17th century, the name Reininga appeared in the records of the Dutch East India Company, indicating that individuals bearing this surname may have been involved in the company's extensive trade and exploration activities during that period.
One notable figure with the surname Reininga was Jan Reininga (1623-1679), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his portraiture and genre scenes. His works can be found in renowned museums such as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Another individual of historical significance was Dirk Reininga (1760-1829), a Dutch military officer who served in the Batavian Republic and later became a Lieutenant-General in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, the name Reininga was associated with the village of Reningen, located in the Dutch province of Gelderland. This village's name may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable bearer of the name from this period was Adriaan Reininga (1810-1890), a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1866 to 1868.
Crossing over to the 20th century, Cornelis Reininga (1902-1985) was a Dutch architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts of Rotterdam after World War II.
While the surname Reininga has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the Dutch language and the occupational or geographic associations of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reininga
Among Census respondents with the surname Reininga, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Reininga 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 Reininga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reininga
Reininga 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,366 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,366 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,121 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 Reininga 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 | #143,149 | #144,270 | -0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 117 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reininga bearers went from 116 to 117 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #144,270.
FAQ
Reininga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reininga?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Reininga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Reininga?
Reininga ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Reininga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Reininga.
Has Reininga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reininga went from 116 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Reininga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reininga, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Reininga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reininga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Reininga (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 Reininga mean?
A habitational name for someone from a place called Reininga. 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 Reininga (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 common is the surname Reininga?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Reininga on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.