2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rett
A German surname deriving from a place name containing the element "riet" meaning a reed or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Rett. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rett 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Rett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rett, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Black (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rett
The surname "RETT" is of Germanic origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive surname in central Europe, particularly in areas of present-day Germany and Switzerland.
One possible origin of the name is from the Old High German word "hreiti," which meant "reed" or "rush." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a marshy area or worked with reeds, perhaps as a basket weaver or thatcher.
Another theory proposes that "RETT" derived from the Old German word "retten," meaning "to save" or "to rescue." In this case, the name could have been given to someone who was known for their bravery or for saving others in times of distress.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "RETT" date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1295, a record mentions a "Cunradus Dictus Rett" in Rottweil, a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Additionally, a certain "Petrus Rett" is documented in the Swiss city of Basel in 1357.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname "RETT" was Johann Rett (1674-1738), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Tübingen. He authored several influential works on legal theory and jurisprudence during the early 18th century.
Another individual of note was Andreas Rett (1924-1997), an Austrian pediatrician and medical researcher. He is credited with discovering and describing the neurological condition now known as "Rett Syndrome" in 1966, a rare genetic disorder that primarily affects girls and causes severe physical and mental disabilities.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the German poet and novelist Michael Rett (1909-1988), whose works explored themes of identity, loss, and the human condition. His most acclaimed novel, "Die Brücke über den Main" (The Bridge Over the Main), was published in 1957.
Moving to the arts, the Swiss painter and engraver Johann Jakob Rett (1755-1818) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings, many of which depicted the picturesque scenery of his native Switzerland.
Lastly, in the field of engineering, the name "RETT" is associated with Karl Rett (1868-1946), a German civil engineer and architect. He made significant contributions to the design and construction of bridges, aqueducts, and other infrastructure projects in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rett
Among Census respondents with the surname Rett, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Black (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rett 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 Rett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 12
- Black or African American5.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rett
Rett 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,938 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,745 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 6,938 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,745 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 Rett 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 | #138,304 | #142,049 | -2.7% |
| Count | 121 | 120 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rett bearers went from 121 to 120 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,745 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #142,049.
FAQ
Rett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rett?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Rett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Rett?
Rett ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Rett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Rett.
Has Rett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rett went from 121 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Rett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rett, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Black (5.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Hispanic (10.0%), Black (5.8%). 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 Rett (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 Rett mean?
A German surname deriving from a place name containing the element "riet" meaning a reed or meadow. 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 Rett (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 have the last name Rett?
You can see how many people have the last name Rett on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.