2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Renggli
A Germanic surname derived from a personal name meaning "young person" or "young servant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Renggli. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Renggli 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Renggli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Renggli, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Renggli
The surname Renggli originated in Switzerland and is derived from the Swiss German word "Rengg", meaning "narrow mountain ridge" or "steep slope". It is a topographic name, given to someone who lived near such a geographical feature.
The earliest known record of this surname dates back to the late 15th century in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. An entry in the town records of Langnau, dated 1489, mentions a Hans Renggli, a farmer and landowner.
In the 16th century, variations of the name such as Renggly, Renggli, and Ränggli were found in various Swiss German dialects across the cantons of Bern, Lucerne, and Obwalden. The name was particularly prevalent in the Emmental region of Bern.
One notable early bearer of the Renggli name was Niklaus Renggli (1510-1578), a Protestant reformer and theologian from Brienz, Bern. He was a follower of Huldrych Zwingli and played a role in the spread of the Reformation in Switzerland.
Another historical figure with this surname was Hans Rudolf Renggli (1630-1692), a renowned Swiss artist and engraver from Bern. His intricate etchings and engravings of Swiss landscapes and architecture are considered masterpieces of the Baroque period.
In the 18th century, the Renggli family produced several accomplished clockmakers and watchmakers, including Johann Jakob Renggli (1736-1802) from Langnau, whose precision timepieces were highly sought after by European nobility and royalty.
The name Renggli also appeared in various Swiss military records, such as the Renggli brothers, Hans (1789-1864) and Jakob (1792-1872), who served as officers in the Swiss army during the Napoleonic Wars.
Another notable bearer of this surname was the Swiss politician and lawyer, Johann Rudolf Renggli (1828-1908), who served as the President of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court from 1896 to 1901.
While the Renggli surname is still found primarily in Switzerland, particularly in the cantons of Bern, Lucerne, and Obwalden, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renggli
Among Census respondents with the surname Renggli, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Renggli 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 Renggli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 10
- Two or more races7.2% · 8
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Renggli
Renggli appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 12,310 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 Renggli 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 | #160,975 | #148,665 | 7.6% |
| Count | 100 | 111 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Renggli bearers went from 100 to 111 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 12,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #148,665.
FAQ
Renggli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Renggli?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Renggli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Renggli?
Renggli ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Renggli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Renggli.
Has Renggli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Renggli went from 100 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 11 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Renggli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Renggli, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Renggli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Renggli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Hispanic (9.0%), Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Renggli (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 Renggli mean?
A Germanic surname derived from a personal name meaning "young person" or "young servant." 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 Renggli (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 Americans have the surname Renggli?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.