2000
#14,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,881
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Renna
An Italian surname derived from the word "renna" meaning reindeer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,217 Americans carry the last name Renna. That puts it at #14,748 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Renna 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
2.2K
1 in 154,603
Census rank
#14,748
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,933 bearers of the surname Renna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14748th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Renna, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Renna
The surname Renna originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "arena," meaning "sand" or "sandy place." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near sandy areas or worked in occupations related to sand, such as glassmaking or construction.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Renna date back to the 13th century. One notable example is found in the historical documents of the city of Amalfi, where a family bearing the name Renna is mentioned as early as the year 1240. This family was likely involved in maritime activities, as Amalfi was a prominent maritime republic during that period.
In the late 14th century, the name Renna appeared in the records of the city of Palermo, Sicily. A certain Giovanni Renna, born around 1375, was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region. His descendants continued to play a significant role in the economic and political life of Palermo for several generations.
The name Renna has also been associated with various place names in Italy. For instance, the town of Renna in the province of Avellino, Campania, likely derived its name from the surname itself. Additionally, the surname Renna may have originated from the alternative spelling "Renna di Puglia," referring to a sandy region in the southern Italian region of Puglia.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Renna. One such figure was Francesco Renna (1801-1875), an Italian painter and engraver from Naples, known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes of the Campania region.
Another prominent Renna was Girolamo Renna (1556-1630), an Italian architect and engineer from Sicily. He was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings in Palermo, including the Chiesa di San Matteo and the Palazzo Abatellis.
In the field of literature, Giuseppe Renna (1923-1988) was an Italian poet and writer from Bari, Puglia. He is best known for his collections of poetry, such as "Poesie" (1955) and "La terra più altro" (1977), which explored themes of nature, human existence, and the southern Italian landscape.
Vincenzo Renna (1888-1972) was an Italian painter and sculptor from Calabria. He is particularly renowned for his works depicting scenes of rural life and the landscapes of his native region. Many of his paintings and sculptures can be found in museums and galleries throughout Italy.
Lastly, Giovanni Renna (1566-1645) was a prominent Italian jurist and legal scholar from Naples. He served as a judge in the Supreme Court of Naples and authored several important legal treatises, including "De Regimine Urbis" (1625), which addressed matters of urban governance and administration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renna
Among Census respondents with the surname Renna, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Renna 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 Renna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 1,703
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 142
- Two or more races2.4% · 46
- Black or African American1.3% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Renna
Renna 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
#20,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,336
-545 bearers (-29.0%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 5,499 places
2020
#14,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,933
+597 bearers (+44.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 5,281 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,530 | 1,881 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,029 | 1,336 | 0.45 | -545 bearers (-29.0%) | Down 5,499 places |
| 2020 | #14,748 | 1,933 | 0.65 | +597 bearers (+44.7%) | Up 5,281 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 Renna 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 | #20,029 | #14,748 | 26.4% |
| Count | 1,336 | 1,933 | 44.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.65 | 43.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Renna bearers went from 1,336 to 1,933 (+44.7% change). The surname moved up 5,281 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,029 to #14,748.
FAQ
Renna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Renna?
Name Census estimates that about 2,217 living Americans carry the surname Renna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,603 residents.
How common is Renna?
Renna ranks #14,748 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,933 people with the surname Renna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,217), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Renna.
Has Renna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Renna went from 1,336 recorded bearers to 1,933. That is an increase of 597 (+44.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,029 to #14,748.
What does the Census say about the background of Renna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Renna, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Renna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (1,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Renna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (7.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Renna (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 Renna mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "renna" meaning reindeer. 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 Renna (0.65 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 Renna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.