2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Reitzer
A German surname denoting someone who resided by a forest or thicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Reitzer. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reitzer 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Reitzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reitzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reitzer
The surname REITZER is of German origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Reiter," which means "horseman" or "rider." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been individuals involved in equestrian activities, such as cavalry soldiers, horse breeders, or individuals who worked with horses.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the REITZER name can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a historical text published in 1493, which mentions a Hans Reitzer from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. Another early reference is in the Heidelberg University records from the late 15th century, where a Johann Reitzer is listed as a student.
In the 16th century, the REITZER name appears in various German town records, such as the Augsburg City Archives, which mention a Christoph Reitzer, a merchant who lived in the city during the mid-1500s. The name can also be found in the parish records of several towns in Swabia, a region in southwestern Germany, indicating that the surname had spread to other parts of the country by this time.
One notable bearer of the REITZER surname was Johann Georg Reitzer (1641-1718), a German architect and stonemason from Saxony. He is best known for his work on the construction of the famous Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in the late 17th century.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl Reitzer (1770-1846), a Bavarian jurist and politician who served as the Minister of Justice in the Kingdom of Bavaria during the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, the REITZER name can be found in various German immigration records, as many individuals bearing this surname left Germany and settled in other parts of Europe, as well as in the United States and Canada.
One prominent REITZER from this period was Robert Reitzer (1834-1902), a German-American political cartoonist and illustrator who was known for his satirical depictions of political figures and events in the late 19th century United States.
Another notable individual was Emil Reitzer (1876-1945), an Austrian-born composer and music educator who spent much of his career in Germany and is known for his contributions to music theory and pedagogy in the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the REITZER surname has maintained its strong ties to its German roots, while also spreading to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reitzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Reitzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Reitzer 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 Reitzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 16
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reitzer
Reitzer 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,341 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,778 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 2,341 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 10,778 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 Reitzer 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 | #140,157 | #150,935 | -7.7% |
| Count | 119 | 108 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reitzer bearers went from 119 to 108 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 10,778 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #150,935.
FAQ
Reitzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reitzer?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Reitzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Reitzer?
Reitzer ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Reitzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Reitzer.
Has Reitzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reitzer went from 119 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Reitzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reitzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Reitzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reitzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (14.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Reitzer (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 Reitzer mean?
A German surname denoting someone who resided by a forest or thicket. 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 Reitzer (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 have the last name Reitzer?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Reitzer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.