Find out how popular the last name Reynolds is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Reynolds.

Reynolds, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Reynolds surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reynolds in America

Reynolds is the 38754th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reynolds surname appeared 570 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Reynolds.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reynolds to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Reynolds

The surname Reynold is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name Reinald, which was originally made up of the Germanic elements "ragin" meaning "counsel" and "wald" meaning "rule." It was introduced to England by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Reynold can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Reinaldus." This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.

In the 12th century, the name Reynold began to appear in various forms, such as Reynald, Reginald, and Reynaud, reflecting its Norman French influence. During this period, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

A notable bearer of the name was Reynold de Mohun, a 12th-century Norman baron who played a significant role in the Anarchy, a civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda over the English throne.

In the 13th century, the name Reynold was associated with several place names in England, such as Reynoldston in Glamorgan, Wales, and Reynoldsbury in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname Reynold was Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), a highly acclaimed English portrait painter and one of the most influential figures in 18th-century British art.

Another notable figure was Sir Reynold Bray (c. 1440-1503), a close advisor to King Henry VII and a prominent figure in the Wars of the Roses. He played a crucial role in establishing the Tudor dynasty.

In the field of literature, Robert Reynold Whitelaw (1805-1862) was a Scottish poet and journalist who wrote under the pen name "The Bard of Renfrewshire."

During the American Civil War, John F. Reynold (1820-1863) was a highly respected Union Army officer who was killed in action at the Battle of Gettysburg.

In more recent times, Sir Reynold George Walter (1910-1991) was a British diplomat and former Ambassador to the United States, serving from 1970 to 1976.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reynolds

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Reynolds.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Reynolds was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Reynolds has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Reynolds was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Reynolds, please contact us.

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