2000
#8,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,679
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Rettig
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "rætich," meaning "adviser" or "councilor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,157 Americans carry the last name Rettig. That puts it at #8,687 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rettig 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
4.2K
1 in 82,452
Census rank
#8,687
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,625 bearers of the surname Rettig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8687th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rettig
The surname Rettig is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "rette," meaning "to save" or "to rescue." The name likely originated in the 14th or 15th century, possibly referring to someone who worked as a rescuer or lifeguard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Hans Rettig was mentioned in 1436. The name also appeared in various other historical documents throughout the German regions during the late medieval and early modern periods.
Rettig is closely related to other German surnames such as Rettig, Rettich, and Rettinger, which share the same root word and meaning. These variations in spelling were common due to regional dialects and differences in record-keeping practices.
In the 16th century, the surname Rettig was associated with a notable German scholar and theologian, Johannes Rettig, who was born in 1510 in Wittenberg. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another prominent figure bearing the name Rettig was Georg Rettig, a German composer and organist who lived from 1679 to 1738. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the North German Baroque organ tradition.
The name Rettig also has connections to various place names in Germany, such as Rettigen, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and Rettigheim, a village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. These place names likely influenced the formation of the surname in their respective regions.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Rettig surname was Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Rettig, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1806 to 1871. He made significant contributions to the field of civil law and is remembered for his work on the Prussian legal code.
Another prominent figure was Robert Rettig, a German-American artist and illustrator who lived from 1888 to 1975. He was known for his drawings and illustrations, which appeared in various publications and advertisements during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rettig
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rettig 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 Rettig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,298
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 151
- Two or more races2.2% · 79
- Black or African American1.8% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rettig
Rettig 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
#8,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,641
-38 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 710 places
2020
#8,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,625
-16 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,276 | 3,679 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,986 | 3,641 | 1.23 | -38 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 710 places |
| 2020 | #8,687 | 3,625 | 1.21 | -16 bearers (-0.4%) | Up 299 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 Rettig 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 | #8,986 | #8,687 | 3.3% |
| Count | 3,641 | 3,625 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.21 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rettig bearers went from 3,641 to 3,625 (-0.4% change). The surname moved up 299 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,986 to #8,687.
FAQ
Rettig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rettig?
Name Census estimates that about 4,157 living Americans carry the surname Rettig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,452 residents.
How common is Rettig?
Rettig ranks #8,687 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,625 people with the surname Rettig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rettig.
Has Rettig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rettig went from 3,641 recorded bearers to 3,625. That is a decrease of 16 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,986 to #8,687.
What does the Census say about the background of Rettig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Rettig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,298 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rettig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Rettig (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 Rettig mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "rætich," meaning "adviser" or "councilor." 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 Rettig (1.21 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 common is the surname Rettig?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Rettig, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.