2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Reniker
A German surname derived from the Germanic name Reginhart, meaning "strong in counsel".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Reniker. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reniker 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Reniker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reniker, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reniker
The surname RENIKER has its origins in the German language and is believed to have first appeared in the 16th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Rüngert," which referred to a ring-shaped or round loaf of bread. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name for a baker or someone who made and sold ring-shaped bread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Nürnberg, Bavaria, from the year 1587, where a man named Hans Reniker is mentioned. Another early reference is found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, also in Bavaria, where a certain Margaretha Reniker is listed in the town's records from 1612.
The name has also been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Renicker, Rennikert, and Renniker. These variations likely arose due to regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the RENIKER surname, one of the earliest was Johann Michael Reniker, a German-born composer and organist who lived from 1623 to 1677. He was known for his works for the organ and is considered one of the prominent composers of the early Baroque period.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Reniker, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1718 to 1782. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and is best known for his work on the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 19th century, there was Carl Reniker, a German-American artist and painter who was born in 1839 and died in 1923. He is particularly known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which depict scenes from his native Germany.
Moving into the 20th century, we have Gertrude Reniker, an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who lived from 1888 to 1976. She was a prominent figure in the suffrage movement and played a significant role in the fight for women's right to vote in the United States.
Finally, one of the more recent notable individuals with the RENIKER surname is Robert Reniker, an American businessman and entrepreneur who was born in 1942. He is the founder and former CEO of Reniker Technology Corporation, a company that specialized in developing software for the healthcare industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reniker
Among Census respondents with the surname Reniker, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Reniker 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 Reniker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.9% · 8
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reniker
Reniker 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,441 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 4,441 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 5,424 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 Reniker 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 | #150,452 | #145,028 | 3.6% |
| Count | 109 | 116 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reniker bearers went from 109 to 116 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 5,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #145,028.
FAQ
Reniker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reniker?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Reniker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Reniker?
Reniker ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Reniker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Reniker.
Has Reniker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reniker went from 109 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 7 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Reniker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reniker, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). 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 Reniker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reniker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Hispanic (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). 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 Reniker (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 Reniker mean?
A German surname derived from the Germanic name Reginhart, meaning "strong in counsel". 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 Reniker (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 Reniker?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.