Find out how popular the last name Renfrew is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Renfrew.

Renfrew, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Renfrew surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Renfrew in America

Renfrew is the 35812th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Renfrew surname appeared 627 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Renfrew.

We can also compare 2010 data for Renfrew to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Renfrew

The surname Renfrew has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Renfrew, located in the historic county of Renfrewshire. The name is thought to come from the Gaelic words "rinn" meaning "point" and "friuidh" meaning "stream" or "place of the stream."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Renfrew can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls documenting those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Walter de Renfreu," suggesting a connection to the town of Renfrew.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Renfrew appears in various Scottish records and charters. In 1451, a charter from King James II of Scotland mentions "John Renfrew," indicating the surname's use at the time. Additionally, the name is found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls from the 15th and 16th centuries, which recorded financial transactions and records.

Notable individuals bearing the Renfrew surname include Sir Walter Renfrew, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another prominent figure was Robert Renfrew (c. 1510-1582), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Dean of Moray and Rector of Pettinain.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Renfrew family settled in Ulster, Northern Ireland, during the Plantation of Ulster. This led to the surname's spread throughout Ireland and later to other parts of the world through emigration.

Other notable individuals with the Renfrew surname include John Renfrew (1822-1895), a Scottish architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in Glasgow, and William Renfrew (1834-1906), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.

The Renfrew surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Scotland, such as Renfrew County in Ontario, Canada, which was named after the town of Renfrew in Scotland. Additionally, there are various spellings and variations of the name, including Renfroo, Renfroe, and Renfro, which have been adopted in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Renfrew

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Renfrew.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Renfrew was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Renfrew has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Renfrew was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Renfrew, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!