2000
#12,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,313
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Renninger
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleaned and repaired armor and weapons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,612 Americans carry the last name Renninger. That puts it at #12,899 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,223 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Renninger 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
2.6K
1 in 131,223
Census rank
#12,899
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,278 bearers of the surname Renninger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12899th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Renninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Renninger
The surname Renninger has its origins in Germany and is believed to have emerged in the 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Renner," which referred to a runner or messenger. This suggests that the name may have initially been applied to individuals who worked as couriers or delivered messages on foot.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Renninger can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the late 1300s. These records mention a family with the name Renninger residing in the city during that time period.
In the 15th century, the name Renninger appeared in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles from different regions of Germany. For example, a man named Hans Renninger was mentioned in a 1457 document from the city of Augsburg, where he was listed as a merchant.
During the 16th century, the surname Renninger began to spread across other parts of Europe. One notable individual with this name was Johann Renninger, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1529 to 1598. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential works.
In the 17th century, the name Renninger was found in various records from the German states. One example is Christoph Renninger, born in 1624 in Württemberg, who served as a military officer during the Thirty Years' War.
As the centuries progressed, the Renninger surname continued to be prevalent in German-speaking regions, as well as in areas where German immigrants settled. For instance, in the 18th century, a family by the name of Renninger was documented in the town of Pforzheim, in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg.
Another notable individual with the surname Renninger was Johann Georg Renninger, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1744 to 1807. He was known for his religious and historical works, and his artworks can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Renninger appeared in various records and documents from different parts of Germany and neighboring countries. One example is Karl Renninger, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1823 to 1891 and was known for his works on ethics and metaphysics.
As the Renninger surname spread across different regions, it also experienced variations in spelling, such as Renniger, Renniger, and Renniger. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the German language and its historical significance as a surname associated with messengers or runners.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renninger
Among Census respondents with the surname Renninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Renninger 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 Renninger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 2,136
- Two or more races2.8% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Renninger
Renninger 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
#11,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,715
+402 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 749 places
2020
#12,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,278
-437 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,327 | 2,313 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,578 | 2,715 | 0.92 | +402 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 749 places |
| 2020 | #12,899 | 2,278 | 0.76 | -437 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 1,321 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 Renninger 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 | #11,578 | #12,899 | -11.4% |
| Count | 2,715 | 2,278 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.76 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Renninger bearers went from 2,715 to 2,278 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 1,321 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,578 to #12,899.
FAQ
Renninger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Renninger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,612 living Americans carry the surname Renninger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,223 residents.
How common is Renninger?
Renninger ranks #12,899 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,278 people with the surname Renninger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Renninger.
Has Renninger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Renninger went from 2,715 recorded bearers to 2,278. That is a decrease of 437 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,578 to #12,899.
What does the Census say about the background of Renninger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Renninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Renninger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (2,136 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Renninger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Renninger (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 Renninger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleaned and repaired armor and weapons. 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 Renninger (0.76 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 Renninger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.