2000
#29,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 752
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Reitman
An Americanized spelling of the German surname meaning a rider or horseman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 820 Americans carry the last name Reitman. That puts it at #34,185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 417,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reitman 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
820
1 in 417,993
Census rank
#34,185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
715
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 715 bearers of the surname Reitman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reitman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reitman
The surname Reitman is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "rītman," which means "horseman" or "mounted soldier." This name was originally an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as horsemen or cavalrymen.
The earliest recorded instances of the Reitman surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. In some areas, the name was also spelled as "Reutmann" or "Reutman," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One of the earliest known references to the Reitman name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 14th century. The name is mentioned in connection with a landowner or nobleman from the region.
Another notable historical figure bearing the Reitman surname was Johannes Reitman, a German cleric and scholar who lived in the 15th century. He was a prominent professor at the University of Leipzig and author of several theological works.
In the 16th century, a family of Reitmans gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where they were involved in the lucrative metalworking and trading industries. One member of this family, Hans Reitman (1515-1582), served as a respected merchant and city councilor.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Reitman name spread across various parts of Europe as some members of the family migrated to other regions. For instance, a branch of the Reitman family settled in the Netherlands, where they were known as skilled artisans and craftsmen.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the Reitman surname was Karl Reitman (1805-1879), a German poet and writer who gained recognition for his lyrical works and contributions to Romantic literature.
Another prominent individual bearing this name was Wilhelm Reitman (1829-1905), a German-born American industrialist who founded the Reitman Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia, which produced various machinery and industrial equipment.
As the Reitman family dispersed throughout Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, the surname took on various spelling variations, including Reitmann, Reittmann, and Reutmann, reflecting local linguistic influences and preferences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reitman
Among Census respondents with the surname Reitman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Reitman 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 Reitman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 656
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 31
- Two or more races1.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reitman
Reitman 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
#33,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 682
-70 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 3,880 places
2020
#34,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 715
+33 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 735 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,570 | 752 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,450 | 682 | 0.23 | -70 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 3,880 places |
| 2020 | #34,185 | 715 | 0.24 | +33 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 735 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 Reitman 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 | #33,450 | #34,185 | -2.2% |
| Count | 682 | 715 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.24 | 4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reitman bearers went from 682 to 715 (+4.8% change). The surname moved down 735 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,450 to #34,185.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reitman
FAQ
Reitman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reitman?
Name Census estimates that about 820 living Americans carry the surname Reitman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 417,993 residents.
How common is Reitman?
Reitman ranks #34,185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 715 people with the surname Reitman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (820), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Reitman.
Has Reitman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reitman went from 682 recorded bearers to 715. That is an increase of 33 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,450 to #34,185.
What does the Census say about the background of Reitman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reitman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Reitman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (656 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reitman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Reitman (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 Reitman mean?
An Americanized spelling of the German surname meaning a rider or horseman. 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 Reitman (0.24 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 Reitman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.