2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rettenmaier
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow clearer" or "meadow farmer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 151 Americans carry the last name Rettenmaier. That puts it at #133,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,269,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rettenmaier 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
151
1 in 2,269,896
Census rank
#133,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
132
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 132 bearers of the surname Rettenmaier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettenmaier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rettenmaier
The surname Rettenmaier is of German origin, originating in the regions of southern Germany. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Rettenmaier is derived from two Old German words: "retten" meaning "to rescue" or "to save," and "maier" or "mayer," which was an occupational surname referring to a manager or overseer of a farm or estate. Therefore, the name Rettenmaier likely referred to someone who was a bailiff or steward responsible for managing and protecting the lands and properties of a noble or landowning family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rettenmaier can be found in the Stammheim Chronicle, a historical record from the town of Stammheim in Baden-Württemberg, dating back to the late 15th century. This document mentions a Hans Rettenmaier, who was a prominent citizen of the town in the year 1487.
In the 16th century, there are records of a wealthy merchant family named Rettenmaier residing in the city of Augsburg, which was a major trading center in southern Germany during the Renaissance period. Notable members of this family include Johann Rettenmaier (1512-1588), a successful textile merchant, and his son, Michael Rettenmaier (1542-1617), who served as a city councilor in Augsburg.
Another notable figure with the surname Rettenmaier was Friedrich Rettenmaier (1785-1858), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Tübingen. He was a respected scholar in the field of Roman law and published several influential works on legal theory.
In the 19th century, a branch of the Rettenmaier family settled in the town of Ellwangen in Baden-Württemberg. One of their descendants, Karl Rettenmaier (1871-1942), was a prominent architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Stuttgart and other cities in southern Germany.
Another individual of note was Katharina Rettenmaier (1906-1989), a German artist and painter known for her expressionist and abstract works. She studied at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart and had several solo exhibitions throughout her career.
While the surname Rettenmaier is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich history and has been associated with various notable figures over the centuries, particularly in the regions of southern Germany where the name originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rettenmaier
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettenmaier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rettenmaier 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 Rettenmaier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 125
- Two or more races5.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rettenmaier
Rettenmaier 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+5 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,152 places
2020
#133,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
-7 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 4,152 places |
| 2020 | #133,220 | 132 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 9,424 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 Rettenmaier 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 | #123,796 | #133,220 | -7.6% |
| Count | 139 | 132 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rettenmaier bearers went from 139 to 132 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 9,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #133,220.
FAQ
Rettenmaier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rettenmaier?
Name Census estimates that about 151 living Americans carry the surname Rettenmaier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,269,896 residents.
How common is Rettenmaier?
Rettenmaier ranks #133,220 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 132 people with the surname Rettenmaier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (151), 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 Rettenmaier.
Has Rettenmaier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rettenmaier went from 139 recorded bearers to 132. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #133,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Rettenmaier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettenmaier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Rettenmaier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (125 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rettenmaier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Rettenmaier (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 Rettenmaier mean?
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow clearer" or "meadow farmer." 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 Rettenmaier (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 surname Rettenmaier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.