Rennert last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Rennert is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rennert.

Meaning of Rennert

A surname derived from the German words "rennen" meaning "to run" and "hart" meaning "hard."

Rennert, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rennert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rennert in America

Rennert is the 33856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rennert surname appeared 672 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rennert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rennert to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 33856 34150 -0.86%
Count 672 628 6.77%
Proportion per 100k 0.23 0.23 0.00%

The history of the last name Rennert

The surname Rennert has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German word "rennen," which means "to run" or "to race." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who was a runner or a courier, or perhaps someone who had a reputation for being swift or agile.

In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled "Renner" or "Rennert," and it was concentrated in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central parts of the country. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 12th century, where it appears as "Rennere."

The name Rennert also has a connection to certain place names in Germany. For example, there is a town called Rennertshofen in Bavaria, which may have been named after an individual bearing the surname Rennert or a variant thereof. Additionally, the name Rennertshausen, a village in Hesse, likely has a similar origin.

Among the notable individuals who have borne the surname Rennert throughout history, one can mention Johann Rennert (1546-1615), a German theologian and Reformist scholar who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another prominent figure was Johann Jakob Rennert (1737-1806), a German jurist and legal scholar who played a significant role in the development of German civil law.

In the 19th century, Carl Rennert (1838-1904) was a German-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Rennert Brewing Company in New York City. He was also instrumental in establishing the Rennert Free School for Children, which provided education to underprivileged children.

A more recent notable figure was Hugo Rennert (1858-1927), an Austrian-American industrialist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of the phonograph and other audio technologies. He held several patents and worked closely with the renowned inventor Thomas Edison.

Another individual worth mentioning is Hans Rennert (1893-1976), a German-American artist and illustrator who was known for his work in children's books and magazines. His illustrations graced the pages of publications such as Harper's Magazine and The New Yorker.

While the surname Rennert may not be among the most common in the world, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the German language and culture. The name has been borne by scholars, entrepreneurs, inventors, and artists, leaving an indelible mark on various fields and disciplines.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rennert

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rennert.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rennert was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.54% 642
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.74% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.34% 9
Hispanic Origin 1.64% 11

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rennert has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.54% 95.70% -0.17%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.74% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.34% 1.59% -17.06%
Hispanic 1.64% 1.59% 3.10%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rennert was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rennert, please contact us.

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"Rennert last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 31, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/rennert-surname-popularity/.

"Rennert last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/rennert-surname-popularity/. Accessed 31 August, 2025

Rennert last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/rennert-surname-popularity/.

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