2000
#8,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Rennie
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bracken" or "fern," likely referring to someone who lived near such plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,203 Americans carry the last name Rennie. That puts it at #8,605 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,550 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rennie 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 Rennie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,550
Census rank
#8,605
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,665 bearers of the surname Rennie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8605th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rennie, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rennie
Among Census respondents with the surname Rennie, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rennie 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 Rennie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 2,973
- Black or African American10.2% · 372
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 138
- Two or more races3.5% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rennie
Rennie 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
#8,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,076
+348 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 52 places
2020
#8,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,665
-411 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 472 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,185 | 3,728 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,133 | 4,076 | 1.38 | +348 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 52 places |
| 2020 | #8,605 | 3,665 | 1.23 | -411 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 472 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 Rennie 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 | #8,133 | #8,605 | -5.8% |
| Count | 4,076 | 3,665 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.23 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rennie bearers went from 4,076 to 3,665 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 472 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,133 to #8,605.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rennie
FAQ
Rennie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rennie?
Name Census estimates that about 4,203 living Americans carry the surname Rennie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,550 residents.
How common is Rennie?
Rennie ranks #8,605 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,665 people with the surname Rennie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Rennie.
Has Rennie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rennie went from 4,076 recorded bearers to 3,665. That is a decrease of 411 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,133 to #8,605.
What does the Census say about the background of Rennie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rennie, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Rennie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (2,973 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rennie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Black (10.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Rennie (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 Rennie mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bracken" or "fern," likely referring to someone who lived near such plants. 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 Rennie (1.23 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 are called Rennie?
You can see how common the surname Rennie is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.