2000
#12,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Rene
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thicket or dense wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,640 Americans carry the last name Rene. That puts it at #9,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,163 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rene 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 Rene with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,163
Census rank
#9,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,174 bearers of the surname Rene in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rene, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.6%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rene
The surname RENE originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French given name Réné, which in turn comes from the Late Latin name Renatus, meaning "reborn" or "born again." This name was likely bestowed upon children who were born after a period of hardship or tragedy, symbolizing a new beginning.
The earliest recorded examples of the RENE surname can be found in historical records from the 12th century, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Renaud de Rene, a nobleman from the town of Rene in Normandy, who is mentioned in a charter from 1187.
In the 13th century, the RENE surname appeared in various spellings, such as Reneé, Renée, and Renay, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. During this time, the name was also associated with several prominent individuals, including Pierre de Rene, a knight who fought in the Seventh Crusade in 1248.
The RENE surname gained further recognition in the 14th century, with the rise of the House of Anjou, a powerful noble family from the region of Anjou in western France. One of the most notable members of this family was René of Anjou (1409-1480), also known as René I of Naples, who was the Duke of Anjou, King of Naples, and Count of Provence.
In the 15th century, the RENE surname spread across Europe, with bearers of the name appearing in various historical records and documents. One notable figure was François Rene, a French diplomat and ambassador who served under King Louis XI in the late 15th century.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the RENE surname continued to be associated with notable individuals, including René Descartes (1596-1650), the renowned French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, who is considered one of the founders of modern philosophy.
Other notable bearers of the RENE surname include Jean-Baptiste Rene Robinet (1735-1820), a French philosopher and naturalist, and Philipp Rene Hubert (1778-1857), a German astronomer and mathematician.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rene
Among Census respondents with the surname Rene, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.6%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rene 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 Rene surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.6% · 2,178
- White18.0% · 570
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 252
- Two or more races4.0% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rene
Rene 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
#10,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
+758 bearers (+34.9%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 2,082 places
2020
#9,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,174
+241 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 1,105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,942 | 2,175 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,860 | 2,933 | 0.99 | +758 bearers (+34.9%) | Up 2,082 places |
| 2020 | #9,755 | 3,174 | 1.06 | +241 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 1,105 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 Rene 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 | #10,860 | #9,755 | 10.2% |
| Count | 2,933 | 3,174 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 1.06 | 7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rene bearers went from 2,933 to 3,174 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 1,105 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,860 to #9,755.
FAQ
Rene surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rene?
Name Census estimates that about 3,640 living Americans carry the surname Rene. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,163 residents.
How common is Rene?
Rene ranks #9,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,174 people with the surname Rene. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rene.
Has Rene become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rene went from 2,933 recorded bearers to 3,174. That is an increase of 241 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,860 to #9,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Rene?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rene, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.6%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (2,178 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rene appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.6%), White (18.0%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Rene (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 Rene mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thicket or dense wood. 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 Rene (1.06 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 Americans have the surname Rene?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.