2000
#10,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,805
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Renn
A toponymic surname derived from places named Renn or Renne, likely referring to a waterway or watercourse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,999 Americans carry the last name Renn. That puts it at #11,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,290 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Renn 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 Renn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,290
Census rank
#11,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,615 bearers of the surname Renn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Renn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Renn
The surname RENN has its origins in Germany, and can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old German word "rinne," meaning a small stream or a watercourse. The surname was likely adopted by individuals who lived near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RENN can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to 1327. The entry refers to a certain "Hans Renn," who was a merchant dealing in textiles. Another early reference is a mention of a "Peter Renn" in the records of the town of Augsburg from the year 1412.
In the 15th century, there are records of a family called RENN residing in the village of Rennhausen, located in the region of Franconia, in present-day Bavaria. It is possible that the village's name was derived from the surname, or vice versa, as it was common practice for families to adopt their surnames from the places they inhabited.
One notable bearer of the name RENN was Johannes Renn, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1561 to 1638. He made significant contributions to the development of logarithms and was a contemporary of Johannes Kepler.
Another individual of note was Christoph Renn, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1615 to 1688. He is known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches and museums across Germany.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname RENN was Johann Michael Renn, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1713 to 1786. He was a professor at the University of Göttingen and authored several works on ethics and moral philosophy.
The surname RENN also has a presence in other parts of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland, where it is believed to have been introduced by German settlers or migrants. In these regions, the name may have evolved into slightly different spellings, such as "Renn" or "Renne."
Despite its German origins, the name RENN has been carried by individuals of various nationalities and backgrounds throughout history, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped the modern world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renn
Among Census respondents with the surname Renn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Renn 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 Renn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 2,436
- Two or more races2.6% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 29
- Black or African American0.9% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Renn
Renn 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
#11,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,878
+73 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 543 places
2020
#11,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,615
-263 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,504 | 2,805 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,047 | 2,878 | 0.98 | +73 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 543 places |
| 2020 | #11,509 | 2,615 | 0.87 | -263 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 462 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 Renn 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 | #11,047 | #11,509 | -4.2% |
| Count | 2,878 | 2,615 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.87 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Renn bearers went from 2,878 to 2,615 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 462 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,047 to #11,509.
FAQ
Renn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Renn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,999 living Americans carry the surname Renn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,290 residents.
How common is Renn?
Renn ranks #11,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,615 people with the surname Renn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Renn.
Has Renn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Renn went from 2,878 recorded bearers to 2,615. That is a decrease of 263 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,047 to #11,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Renn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Renn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Renn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (2,436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Renn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Renn (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 Renn mean?
A toponymic surname derived from places named Renn or Renne, likely referring to a waterway or watercourse. 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 Renn (0.87 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 people have the last name Renn?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Renn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.