2000
#5,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Renaud
A French surname derived from the Old French name "Reinald," meaning "ruler's counselor" or "strong ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,779 Americans carry the last name Renaud. That puts it at #5,654 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Renaud 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Renaud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,561
Census rank
#5,654
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,912 bearers of the surname Renaud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5654th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Renaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Renaud
The surname Renaud is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Reinold or Reinald, composed of the elements "ragin" meaning "counsel" and "wald" meaning "rule." The name was introduced into France by the Franks during their conquest and settlement of Gaul in the 5th century.
The name Renaud is first recorded in the 9th century in the Carolingian region of France. It appears in several medieval charters and manuscripts from this period, indicating its early establishment as a surname. One notable early bearer was Renaud de Montauban, a legendary figure from the medieval French chanson de geste known as "Les Quatre Fils Aymon" (The Four Sons of Aymon).
In the 11th century, the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, mentions several individuals with the surname Renaud or its variant spellings, suggesting that the name had spread to England by the Norman conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Renaud was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy, Île-de-France, and Burgundy in France. It was also found in various parts of England, where it was sometimes anglicized as Reynold or Reynolds. Some notable historical figures with this surname include:
1. Renaud de Châtillon (c. 1125-1187), a French nobleman and military leader during the Crusades.
2. Jean Renaud (c. 1200-1269), a French architect and master mason responsible for the construction of the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims.
3. Renaud de Trie (c. 1300-1364), a French nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.
4. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), an influential English painter and one of the most prominent portraitists of the 18th century.
5. Jules Renard (1864-1910), a French author and member of the Académie Goncourt, best known for his works "Poil de Carotte" and "Histoires Naturelles."
The surname Renaud has also been associated with various place names throughout its history, such as Renaudière, Renaudie, and Renaudot, reflecting the widespread use and variations of the name across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renaud
Among Census respondents with the surname Renaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Renaud 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 Renaud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 4,767
- Black or African American7.1% · 422
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 398
- Two or more races4.2% · 246
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Renaud
Renaud 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
#5,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,094
+211 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#5,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,912
-182 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,440 | 5,883 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,688 | 6,094 | 2.07 | +211 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #5,654 | 5,912 | 1.98 | -182 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 34 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 Renaud 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 | #5,688 | #5,654 | 0.6% |
| Count | 6,094 | 5,912 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.07 | 1.98 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Renaud bearers went from 6,094 to 5,912 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,688 to #5,654.
FAQ
Renaud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Renaud?
Name Census estimates that about 6,779 living Americans carry the surname Renaud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,561 residents.
How common is Renaud?
Renaud ranks #5,654 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,912 people with the surname Renaud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Renaud.
Has Renaud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Renaud went from 6,094 recorded bearers to 5,912. That is a decrease of 182 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,688 to #5,654.
What does the Census say about the background of Renaud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Renaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Renaud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (4,767 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Renaud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Renaud (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 Renaud mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French name "Reinald," meaning "ruler's counselor" or "strong ruler." 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 Renaud (1.98 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 common is the surname Renaud?
You can see how many people have the surname Renaud on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.