2000
#3,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.36
Uncommon Last name
Reno
A toponymic surname referring to someone from the city of Reno or the river Reno in Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,140 Americans carry the last name Reno. That puts it at #3,901 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,802 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reno 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
10K
1 in 33,802
Census rank
#3,901
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,843 bearers of the surname Reno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3901st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reno, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reno
The surname Reno has its origins in Italy, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Italian place name "Reno," which refers to the River Reno that flows through northern Italy. The name is thought to have initially been used as a locational surname, given to individuals who lived near or were associated with the River Reno.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Reno can be found in the records of the city of Bologna, where a family by the name of Reno is mentioned in the 13th century. This family was likely named after their proximity to the River Reno, which runs through the outskirts of Bologna.
The surname Reno has also been linked to the Italian city of Reno, located in the province of Verona. It is possible that some individuals bearing this surname may have originated from this town or had ties to the area.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Gherardo Reno was a prominent politician and diplomat in Florence. He was born around 1330 and served as the ambassador of Florence to several Italian city-states and the Holy Roman Empire.
Another notable individual with the surname Reno was Giovanni Reno, a 16th-century Italian painter and architect from the city of Padua. He was active during the Renaissance period and is known for his contributions to the architectural design of several buildings in Padua and the surrounding region.
In the 17th century, a Venetian nobleman named Marcantonio Reno gained recognition for his military service and participation in the Venetian Wars against the Ottoman Empire. He was born around 1620 and served as a commander in the Venetian army during various campaigns in the Mediterranean region.
During the 18th century, a family by the name of Reno was prominent in the city of Genoa. One member of this family, Giuseppe Reno, was a successful merchant and trader who contributed to the economic prosperity of the city. He lived from 1725 to 1798.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Reno was Jesse Reno, an American military officer who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was born in 1823 and played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of South Mountain, where he was mortally wounded in 1862.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reno
Among Census respondents with the surname Reno, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Reno 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 Reno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 7,709
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 429
- Two or more races4.0% · 351
- Black or African American2.7% · 241
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reno
Reno 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
#3,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,322
+269 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 3.16
Rank movement Down 185 places
2020
#3,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,843
-479 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,609 | 9,053 | 3.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,794 | 9,322 | 3.16 | +269 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 185 places |
| 2020 | #3,901 | 8,843 | 2.96 | -479 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 107 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 Reno 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 | #3,794 | #3,901 | -2.8% |
| Count | 9,322 | 8,843 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.16 | 2.96 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reno bearers went from 9,322 to 8,843 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,794 to #3,901.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reno
FAQ
Reno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reno?
Name Census estimates that about 10,140 living Americans carry the surname Reno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,802 residents.
How common is Reno?
Reno ranks #3,901 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,843 people with the surname Reno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Reno.
Has Reno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reno went from 9,322 recorded bearers to 8,843. That is a decrease of 479 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,794 to #3,901.
What does the Census say about the background of Reno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reno, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Reno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (7,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Reno (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 Reno mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone from the city of Reno or the river Reno in Italy. 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 Reno (2.96 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 share the surname Reno?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.