2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Remelius
A surname derived from the Latin "remus" meaning "an oar" or "paddle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Remelius. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Remelius 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Remelius in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Remelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Remelius
The surname Remelius originated in Germany, first appearing in records around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "remel," which means "wanderer" or "traveler." This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who traveled frequently or lived a nomadic lifestyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Remelius can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dated back to the year 1285. Here, a man named Johannes Remelius is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 15th century, a renowned scholar and philosopher named Petrus Remelius lived in the city of Cologne. Born in 1438, he wrote several influential works on logic and metaphysics, cementing the name's association with academic pursuits.
During the Thirty Years' War, which ravaged much of Europe in the 17th century, a military leader named Heinrich Remelius gained recognition for his strategic acumen. He fought alongside the Protestant forces and later became a respected advisor to the Prince of Hesse.
The name Remelius also has ties to the world of art. In the late 18th century, a painter named Johann Remelius (1737-1803) achieved recognition for his intricate landscape paintings, which often depicted the scenic countryside of his native Bavaria.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Friedrich Remelius, a prominent German theologian who lived from 1767 to 1842. He wrote extensively on biblical exegesis and was a vocal advocate for religious tolerance during a period of significant social and political upheaval in Germany.
While the name Remelius is not among the most common surnames today, its rich history spans various fields, including academia, military leadership, art, and theology, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this distinguished name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Remelius
Among Census respondents with the surname Remelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Remelius 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 Remelius surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Remelius
Remelius 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+6 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,490 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-20 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,963 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 3,490 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 18,963 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 Remelius 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 | #124,548 | #143,511 | -15.2% |
| Count | 138 | 118 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Remelius bearers went from 138 to 118 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 18,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #143,511.
FAQ
Remelius surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Remelius?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Remelius. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Remelius?
Remelius ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Remelius. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Remelius.
Has Remelius become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Remelius went from 138 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Remelius?
Among Census respondents with the surname Remelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Remelius in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Remelius appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Remelius (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 Remelius mean?
A surname derived from the Latin "remus" meaning "an oar" or "paddle". 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 Remelius (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 Remelius?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.