2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rettele
An altered spelling of a Germanic surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Rettele. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rettele 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Rettele in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettele, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rettele
The surname Rettele is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "retta," meaning "to save" or "to rescue," suggesting that the name may have originally been given to someone who performed acts of bravery or heroism.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rettele can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Reichenbacensis, a manuscript dating back to the 12th century, which mentions a person named "Rettelerius" from the region of Saxony. This suggests that the name may have been particularly prevalent in central and northern Germany during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, the name Rettele appeared in various town records and chronicles, such as the Lübecker Oberstadtbuch, which mentions a "Johannes Rettele" in the city of Lübeck in 1352. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by that time.
One notable figure with the surname Rettele was Hans Rettele, a German painter and woodcarver who lived in the 15th century. His work can be found in various churches and cathedrals throughout southern Germany, particularly in the region of Bavaria.
Another historical figure with this surname was Johann Rettele, a German Lutheran theologian and professor who lived from 1568 to 1631. He was known for his contributions to the field of biblical exegesis and his involvement in the religious debates of the Reformation era.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Rettele family was Johann Friedrich Rettele, a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Frankfurt am Main. He was born in 1709 and died in 1782.
Another notable Rettele was Carl Gottlieb Rettele, a German composer and musician who lived from 1789 to 1855. He was known for his compositions for various instruments, including the violin and the piano.
While the surname Rettele is not as common today as it once was, it still holds historical significance as a name with deep roots in German culture and history, dating back to the medieval period and spanning various fields such as art, religion, law, and music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rettele
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettele, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rettele 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 Rettele surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rettele
Rettele 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-9 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,827 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 8,827 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 Rettele 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 | #142,108 | #150,935 | -6.2% |
| Count | 117 | 108 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rettele bearers went from 117 to 108 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 8,827 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,935.
FAQ
Rettele surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rettele?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Rettele. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Rettele?
Rettele ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Rettele. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Rettele.
Has Rettele become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rettele went from 117 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Rettele?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettele, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rettele in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rettele appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rettele (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 Rettele mean?
An altered spelling of a Germanic surname derived from a place name. 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 Rettele (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 are called Rettele?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rettele on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.