2000
#4,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,454
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Reuter
Derived from the German occupational name for a clearing of woodland, from the German word "reuten" meaning "to clear land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,458 Americans carry the last name Reuter. That puts it at #4,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reuter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Reuter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,524
Census rank
#4,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,376 bearers of the surname Reuter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reuter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reuter
The surname Reuter is of German origin, derived from the word "Ritter," meaning "knight" or "rider." It first emerged in the Middle Ages, likely between the 12th and 14th centuries, when surnames were gradually adopted across Europe.
Reuter was initially used as an occupational surname, referring to individuals who were employed as messengers or couriers on horseback. This profession was crucial in those times, as it facilitated communication and the transfer of information across distances.
The earliest known records of the name Reuter can be traced back to the German states of Bavaria and Saxony. In the 15th century, a document from the city of Leipzig mentions a certain "Hans Reuter," indicating the presence of this surname in the region.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Reuter was Friedrich Reuter (1805-1874), a German writer and politician. He was a leading figure in the democratic movement of the 19th century and played an instrumental role in the Revolution of 1848.
Another prominent individual was Paul Reuter (1816-1899), a German-born entrepreneur who founded the news agency Reuter (now Reuters) in 1851. His innovative approach to gathering and disseminating news on a global scale revolutionized the journalism industry.
In the 16th century, the spelling variation "Reutter" appeared in some regions of Germany, particularly in the state of Baden-Württemberg. This variant likely stemmed from local pronunciation differences.
Ernst Reuter (1889-1953) was a German politician and the governing mayor of West Berlin during the tense years of the Berlin Blockade and the early stages of the Cold War. His unwavering leadership and commitment to democratic values earned him widespread respect.
The name Reuter also found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, where it took the form "Ruiter" or "Reijter." This variation reflected the Dutch pronunciation and spelling conventions.
In the late 18th century, Johann Reuter (1761-1829), a German-born botanist and explorer, made significant contributions to the study of flora in the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa). His extensive fieldwork and collections expanded scientific knowledge of the region's plant life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reuter
Among Census respondents with the surname Reuter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Reuter 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 Reuter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 6,819
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 239
- Two or more races3.1% · 231
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 64
- Black or African American0.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reuter
Reuter 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
#4,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,643
+189 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 244 places
2020
#4,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,376
-267 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,400 | 7,454 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,644 | 7,643 | 2.59 | +189 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 244 places |
| 2020 | #4,662 | 7,376 | 2.47 | -267 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 18 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 Reuter 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 | #4,644 | #4,662 | -0.4% |
| Count | 7,643 | 7,376 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.47 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reuter bearers went from 7,643 to 7,376 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,644 to #4,662.
FAQ
Reuter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reuter?
Name Census estimates that about 8,458 living Americans carry the surname Reuter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,524 residents.
How common is Reuter?
Reuter ranks #4,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,376 people with the surname Reuter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,458), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Reuter.
Has Reuter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reuter went from 7,643 recorded bearers to 7,376. That is a decrease of 267 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,644 to #4,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Reuter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reuter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Reuter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (6,819 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reuter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Reuter (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 Reuter mean?
Derived from the German occupational name for a clearing of woodland, from the German word "reuten" meaning "to clear land." 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 Reuter (2.47 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 Reuter?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Reuter at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.