Find out how popular the last name Renwick is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Renwick.

Renwick, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Renwick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Renwick in America

Renwick is the 14127th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Renwick surname appeared 2,127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Renwick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Renwick to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Renwick

The surname Renwick is of English origin, derived from the place name Renwick, a village located in Cumbria, in the northwest of England. The name is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century.

Renwick is a locative surname, meaning it was originally taken from the name of a place where a person lived or came from. The place name Renwick is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ren" (a stream or brook) and "wic" (a dairy farm or dwelling), suggesting that the original settlement was located near a stream or brook.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Renwick can be found in the Cumbria Feet of Fines, a legal record from the 13th century, which mentions a "John de Renewyk" in 1246. The surname also appears in various other historical records from the region, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Inglewood in 1347, where a "William de Rennewyk" is mentioned.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Renwick surname can be found in various parish records and tax rolls from Cumbria and neighbouring counties. Notable individuals from this period include John Renwick (c. 1662-1688), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and one of the last Covenanter martyrs, who was executed for his beliefs in Edinburgh in 1688.

Another significant figure was James Renwick (1662-1763), a Scottish-American educator and one of the founders of the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University. He was born in Moniaive, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and emigrated to America in 1718.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Renwick surname continued to be found in various records from northern England and Scotland. One notable individual was James Renwick (1790-1863), a Scottish architect and engineer who designed several significant buildings in Edinburgh, including the Royal Institution and the Nicolson Street Church.

Other notable individuals include Henry Brevoort Renwick (1817-1895), an American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Smithsonian Institution's Castle building in Washington, D.C. Another was Isaac Renwick (1836-1889), an American lawyer and politician who served as Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey.

Overall, the surname Renwick has a rich history rooted in the northern English county of Cumbria, with its origins dating back to the medieval period. While the name has spread throughout the English-speaking world, it remains closely tied to its Cumbrian roots and the village from which it originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Renwick

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Renwick.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Renwick was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Renwick has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Renwick was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Renwick, please contact us.

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