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

Rennie, 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 Rennie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rennie in America

Rennie is the 8133rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rennie surname appeared 4,076 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rennie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rennie 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.

The history of the last name Rennie

The surname Rennie is believed to have originated in Scotland, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a variant of the name Renny, which itself is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "ranaich," meaning a fern or bracken. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near an area abundant with ferns or bracken.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rennie can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a series of parchment rolls from the late 13th century that documented homages rendered to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and clergy. The name appears in various spellings, such as Renny and Rany, in these historical records.

The Rennie surname is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Rennieston, a village in East Lothian, and Renniehill, a settlement in Haddingtonshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Rennie name who inhabited or owned land in these areas.

Among the notable historical figures bearing the Rennie surname is John Rennie (1761-1821), a renowned Scottish civil engineer and architect. He was responsible for designing and constructing numerous bridges, canals, and other significant infrastructure projects across Britain and Ireland. Another prominent Rennie was John Rennie the Younger (1794-1874), who followed in his father's footsteps as a civil engineer and worked on notable projects like the construction of London Bridge.

Other historical figures with the Rennie surname include James Rennie (1787-1867), a Scottish naturalist and writer; William Rennie (1872-1949), a Scottish golfer and winner of the Open Championship in 1914; and Thomas Rennie (1828-1904), a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Hamilton, Ontario.

The Rennie name has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the Scottish landscape and its bearers making significant contributions in various fields, from engineering and architecture to science and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rennie

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

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 Rennie was:

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 Rennie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Rennie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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