2000
#8,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,738
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Rentz
A German occupational surname referring to a tax collector or treasurer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,109 Americans carry the last name Rentz. That puts it at #8,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,416 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rentz 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
4.1K
1 in 83,416
Census rank
#8,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,583 bearers of the surname Rentz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rentz
The surname Rentz is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "rennen," which means "to run." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a fast runner or messenger.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German records from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a document from 1375, there is a mention of a "Henricus Rentz" from the region of Brandenburg.
Another early reference to the name appears in the Deutsches Rechtswörterbuch, a legal dictionary from the 15th century, where a "Hans Rentz" is listed as a witness in a court case from 1482.
In the 16th century, the name Rentz can be found in various town records and church registers across Germany. For example, in the town of Görlitz, there is a record of a "Michael Rentz" born in 1567.
One notable individual with the surname Rentz was Johann Rentz, a German theologian and author who lived from 1599 to 1667. He wrote several influential works on theology and religion during his time.
In the 18th century, the Rentz name appeared in various places across Europe, indicating that some members of the family had migrated from Germany. One such instance is the birth record of a "Maria Rentz" in the town of Nisko, Poland, in 1742.
Another prominent figure with the surname Rentz was Karl Rentz, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1812 to 1884. He is known for his landscapes and portraits, and his works can be found in various museums across Germany.
The 19th century saw the Rentz name spread further, with records of individuals bearing the name in countries like the United States and Canada. One notable example is Charles Rentz, an American businessman and politician who lived from 1845 to 1920 and served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.
As the centuries passed, the Rentz surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, including academia, arts, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rentz
Among Census respondents with the surname Rentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rentz 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 Rentz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 3,013
- Black or African American8.2% · 294
- Two or more races3.0% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rentz
Rentz 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
#8,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,954
+216 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 210 places
2020
#8,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,583
-371 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,163 | 3,738 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,373 | 3,954 | 1.34 | +216 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 210 places |
| 2020 | #8,781 | 3,583 | 1.20 | -371 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 408 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 Rentz 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 | #8,373 | #8,781 | -4.9% |
| Count | 3,954 | 3,583 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.20 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rentz bearers went from 3,954 to 3,583 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 408 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,373 to #8,781.
FAQ
Rentz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rentz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,109 living Americans carry the surname Rentz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,416 residents.
How common is Rentz?
Rentz ranks #8,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,583 people with the surname Rentz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Rentz.
Has Rentz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rentz went from 3,954 recorded bearers to 3,583. That is a decrease of 371 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,373 to #8,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Rentz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Rentz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (3,013 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rentz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (8.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Rentz (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 Rentz mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a tax collector or treasurer. 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 Rentz (1.20 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 Rentz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Rentz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.