2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Reter
A surname that potentially stems from the Latin word "retus", meaning accused or charged.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Reter. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reter 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Reter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reter, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reter
The surname RETER has its origins in Germany, and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the occupational name "Reter" or "Retter," which referred to someone who worked as a rescuer or savior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RETER can be found in the German town of Erfurt in 1532, where a certain Hans Reter was listed as a resident. The name may also have connections to the German word "retten," meaning "to save" or "to rescue."
In the late 16th century, the surname RETER appeared in several historical records across various regions of Germany, including the cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Nuremberg. One notable mention is found in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their towns, where a merchant named Johann Reter is listed as a member in 1587.
During the 17th century, the name RETER continued to be prevalent in various parts of Germany, with several individuals bearing the surname making their mark in various fields. One such individual was Friedrich Reter, born in 1612 in the town of Heidelberg, who was a renowned scholar and professor of theology at the University of Heidelberg.
Another notable figure from this period was Hans Reter, a military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in 1620 in the town of Münster and fought for the Protestant forces during the conflict.
As the centuries progressed, the RETER surname spread to other parts of Europe, with some families migrating to countries like the Netherlands, France, and even as far as Russia. One prominent individual from this period was Peter Reter, a Dutch merchant and explorer who was born in 1712 in Amsterdam. He is known for his travels to the East Indies and his detailed accounts of the region.
In the 19th century, the RETER surname continued to be found across various regions of Europe, with several individuals making their mark in various fields. One such individual was Wilhelm Reter, a German composer and pianist who was born in 1835 in the city of Berlin. He is known for his contributions to the Romantic era of classical music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reter
Among Census respondents with the surname Reter, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Reter 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 Reter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 101
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reter
Reter appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 780 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 Reter 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 | #153,769 | #152,989 | 0.5% |
| Count | 106 | 105 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reter bearers went from 106 to 105 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 780 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #152,989.
FAQ
Reter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reter?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Reter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Reter?
Reter ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Reter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Reter.
Has Reter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reter went from 106 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Reter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reter, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Reter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Black (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Reter (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 Reter mean?
A surname that potentially stems from the Latin word "retus", meaning accused or charged. 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 Reter (0.04 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 Reter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.