2000
#15,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Rentas
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "rents" or "taxes" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,516 Americans carry the last name Rentas. That puts it at #13,304 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,230 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rentas 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
2.5K
1 in 136,230
Census rank
#13,304
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,194 bearers of the surname Rentas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13304th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rentas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rentas
The surname Rentas is of Spanish origin, originating in the regions of Catalonia and Aragon in northeastern Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "renta," which means "income" or "revenue," likely referring to a person involved in collecting or managing rents or taxes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rentas can be found in the Catalan Surnames Registry of the 13th century, where a certain Pere de Rentas is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Lleida. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who owned or managed land and collected rents from tenants.
In the 15th century, the Rentas family gained prominence in the city of Barcelona, where several members held positions within the local government and mercantile guilds. Notable individuals from this period include Joan Rentas (1421-1489), a prominent merchant and city councilor, and Beatriu Rentas (1456-1523), a renowned philanthropist who established a charitable foundation for orphaned children.
As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Rentas surname began to spread across the Spanish territories in the Americas. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the New World was Diego Rentas (1534-1602), a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru and later settled in present-day Colombia.
In the 18th century, the Rentas family established itself in the Caribbean, particularly in the Spanish colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Juan Rentas (1712-1788), a wealthy sugar plantation owner in Puerto Rico, was known for his contributions to the local economy and his support for the education of enslaved people on his plantations.
Another notable figure was Margarita Rentas (1789-1862), a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights in Cuba. She founded one of the first schools for girls in Havana and was instrumental in promoting educational opportunities for women during a time when such efforts were rare.
Over the centuries, the Rentas surname has spread to various regions of the world, particularly in Latin America and countries with significant Hispanic populations. While the name may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation across different cultures, its origins can be traced back to the medieval regions of Catalonia and Aragon, where it was initially associated with individuals involved in the collection and management of rents and revenues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rentas
Among Census respondents with the surname Rentas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rentas 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 Rentas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.9% · 1,928
- White9.5% · 209
- Black or African American1.8% · 39
- Two or more races0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rentas
Rentas 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
#14,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,149
+384 bearers (+21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 1,272 places
2020
#13,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,194
+45 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 710 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,286 | 1,765 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,014 | 2,149 | 0.73 | +384 bearers (+21.8%) | Up 1,272 places |
| 2020 | #13,304 | 2,194 | 0.73 | +45 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 710 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 Rentas 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 | #14,014 | #13,304 | 5.1% |
| Count | 2,149 | 2,194 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.73 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rentas bearers went from 2,149 to 2,194 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 710 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,014 to #13,304.
FAQ
Rentas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rentas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,516 living Americans carry the surname Rentas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,230 residents.
How common is Rentas?
Rentas ranks #13,304 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,194 people with the surname Rentas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,516), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Rentas.
Has Rentas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rentas went from 2,149 recorded bearers to 2,194. That is an increase of 45 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,014 to #13,304.
What does the Census say about the background of Rentas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rentas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (1.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rentas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (1,928 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rentas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.9%), White (9.5%), Black (1.8%). 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 Rentas (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 Rentas mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "rents" or "taxes" in Spanish. 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 Rentas (0.73 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 common is the surname Rentas?
Find out how many people have the last name Rentas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.