2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rekeweg
A surname denoting someone who lived on a crooked or winding road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Rekeweg. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rekeweg 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Rekeweg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rekeweg, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rekeweg
The surname REKEWEG is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the German words "Rechen" meaning "rake" and "Weg" meaning "way" or "path", suggesting a possible occupational origin related to farming or agricultural work.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name REKEWEG can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. These records mention a certain Hans REKEWEG, who was a farmer and landowner in the area.
Another notable early bearer of the name was Johannes REKEWEG, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of Nuremberg, Germany in the mid-16th century. Historical records from the city archives mention his involvement in the lucrative spice trade with the Netherlands and other parts of Europe.
In the 17th century, the name REKEWEG can be found in various church records and tax registers in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, indicating that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname REKEWEG in the New World was Johann REKEWEG, who was born in 1682 in the village of Heringen, near Nordhausen, Germany. He emigrated to the British colonies in North America in the early 18th century and settled in Pennsylvania, where he worked as a farmer and landowner.
Another notable bearer of the name was Carl Friedrich REKEWEG, a German painter and artist who lived in the 19th century. Born in 1796 in Dresden, Saxony, he is known for his realistic landscapes and cityscapes depicting scenes from various parts of Germany and Europe.
Overall, while not a particularly common surname, REKEWEG has a long and interesting history that can be traced back to medieval Germany, with bearers of the name found in various occupations and locations throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rekeweg
Among Census respondents with the surname Rekeweg, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rekeweg 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 Rekeweg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 112
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rekeweg
Rekeweg 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+9 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,772 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 Rekeweg 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 | #136,449 | #147,221 | -7.9% |
| Count | 123 | 113 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rekeweg bearers went from 123 to 113 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,772 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #147,221.
FAQ
Rekeweg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rekeweg?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Rekeweg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Rekeweg?
Rekeweg ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Rekeweg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Rekeweg.
Has Rekeweg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rekeweg went from 123 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Rekeweg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rekeweg, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%). 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 Rekeweg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rekeweg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Rekeweg (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 Rekeweg mean?
A surname denoting someone who lived on a crooked or winding road. 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 Rekeweg (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 surname Rekeweg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.