2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Reinl
A German surname derived from the occupational term for a woodcutter or clearer of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 150 Americans carry the last name Reinl. That puts it at #133,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,285,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reinl 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
150
1 in 2,285,029
Census rank
#133,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
131
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 131 bearers of the surname Reinl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reinl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reinl
The surname REINL is of German origin, originating in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Rein", meaning "pure" or "clean". The name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a clean or clear river, stream, or other body of water.
REINL is thought to have first emerged in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Austria. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Reinl, Reinle, and Reinel. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a 15th-century document from the town of Augsburg, where a certain "Hans Reinl" was mentioned.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records across southern Germany and Austria. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Reinl (1523-1587), a German theologian and author, and Michael Reinl (1548-1612), an Austrian composer and organist.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it was sometimes associated with certain locations or geographic features. For instance, in the 18th century, there were records of a family named Reinl living in the village of Reinlingen, which may have influenced their surname.
One of the earliest documented instances of the REINL name in the United States can be traced back to the late 18th century when Johann Georg Reinl (1763-1842) emigrated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania.
Throughout the 19th century, the name continued to appear in various parts of Europe and North America. Notable individuals from this period include:
1. Franz Xaver Reinl (1801-1873), an Austrian painter and lithographer
2. Joseph Reinl (1829-1894), a German-American artist and engraver
3. Carl Reinl (1860-1937), an Austrian architect and academic
4. Maximilian Reinl (1866-1942), an Austrian painter and art professor
5. Wilhelm Reinl (1892-1955), a German actor and film director
While the REINL surname has its roots in Germany and Austria, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Australia, carried by descendants of the original German-speaking bearers of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reinl
Among Census respondents with the surname Reinl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Reinl 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 Reinl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 9
- Two or more races2.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reinl
Reinl 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+5 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,244 places
2020
#133,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+5 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 4,244 places |
| 2020 | #133,930 | 131 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 67 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 Reinl 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 | #133,863 | #133,930 | -0.1% |
| Count | 126 | 131 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reinl bearers went from 126 to 131 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #133,930.
FAQ
Reinl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reinl?
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the surname Reinl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,285,029 residents.
How common is Reinl?
Reinl ranks #133,930 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 131 people with the surname Reinl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (150), 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 Reinl.
Has Reinl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reinl went from 126 recorded bearers to 131. That is an increase of 5 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #133,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Reinl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reinl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) 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 Reinl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reinl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (6.9%), 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 Reinl (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 Reinl mean?
A German surname derived from the occupational term for a woodcutter or clearer of land. 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 Reinl (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 many people share the surname Reinl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.