2000
#2,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,547
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.02
Uncommon Last name
Renner
An occupational surname referring to someone who runs or operates a mill or millstone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,082 Americans carry the last name Renner. That puts it at #2,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,726 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Renner 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 Renner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,726
Census rank
#2,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,152 bearers of the surname Renner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Renner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Renner
The surname Renner has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "rennen," which means "to run." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a courier or messenger, someone whose occupation involved running or traveling quickly.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Renner" is mentioned in a document dated 1187. This indicates that the name was already in use during that time period in the region of Saxony.
By the 13th century, the name had spread to various parts of Germany, as evidenced by records from cities like Nuremberg and Cologne. In these records, the name appears with slight variations in spelling, such as "Rennar" and "Rennere," reflecting the linguistic differences between dialects and regions.
One notable figure bearing the Renner surname was Johannes Renner, a German printer and woodcut artist who lived from around 1425 to 1501. He is best known for his work in the production of early printed books, particularly those featuring woodcut illustrations.
Another individual of historical significance was Sebastian Renner, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1535 to 1617. He is credited with contributing to the development of trigonometry and publishing works on navigation and astronomy.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Renner family settled in the region of Alsace, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One member of this branch, Johann Friedrich Renner, born in 1661, became a prominent theologian and served as a pastor in the city of Strasbourg.
Moving forward to the 19th century, we find Albert Renner, a German artist and painter born in 1837, who was known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region.
As the name spread throughout Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. One notable example is the American artist and sculptor William Renner, who was born in 1893 and gained recognition for his sculptures and public works of art in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renner
Among Census respondents with the surname Renner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Renner 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 Renner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 12,127
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 390
- Two or more races2.7% · 360
- Black or African American1.1% · 150
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Renner
Renner 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
#2,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,889
+342 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 4.71
Rank movement Down 146 places
2020
#2,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,152
-737 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 4.40
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,448 | 13,547 | 5.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,594 | 13,889 | 4.71 | +342 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 146 places |
| 2020 | #2,675 | 13,152 | 4.40 | -737 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 81 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 Renner 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 | #2,594 | #2,675 | -3.1% |
| Count | 13,889 | 13,152 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.71 | 4.40 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Renner bearers went from 13,889 to 13,152 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,594 to #2,675.
FAQ
Renner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Renner?
Name Census estimates that about 15,082 living Americans carry the surname Renner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,726 residents.
How common is Renner?
Renner ranks #2,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,152 people with the surname Renner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Renner.
Has Renner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Renner went from 13,889 recorded bearers to 13,152. That is a decrease of 737 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,594 to #2,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Renner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Renner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Renner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (12,127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Renner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Renner (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 Renner mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who runs or operates a mill or millstone. 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 Renner (4.40 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 Renner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.