Rheiner last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Rheiner

Of German origin, denoting someone from Rheinau or from a town near the Rhine River.

Rheiner, 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 Rheiner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rheiner in America

Rheiner is the 126018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rheiner surname appeared 136 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 Rheiner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rheiner 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank12601811052313.10%
Count136148-8.45%
Proportion per 100k0.050.050.00%

The history of the last name Rheiner

The surname Rheiner is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century in the region of Rhineland, which was located along the Rhine River in western Germany. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "Rhein," meaning "Rhine," indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname likely resided near or along the Rhine River.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rheiner surname can be found in the historical records of Cologne, a city situated along the Rhine River. In a document dated 1573, a reference was made to a certain Johannes Rheiner, a merchant who traded goods along the Rhine River.

During the 17th century, the Rheiner name gained prominence in the city of Mainz, another Rhenish settlement. In 1642, a record exists of a notable figure named Friedrich Rheiner, a prominent lawyer and judicial advisor to the Elector of Mainz, a powerful prince-bishop of the Holy Roman Empire.

As the Rheiner family expanded and dispersed throughout Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Rheyner, Rainer, and Rayner. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in historical records.

In the 18th century, a notable individual named Johann Rheiner (1720-1795) was born in the town of Worms, located along the Rhine River. He became a renowned theologian and philosopher, authoring several influential works on religious and philosophical topics.

Another notable figure bearing the Rheiner surname was Friedrich Rheiner (1803-1876), a German artist and painter born in the city of Cologne. He is remembered for his landscape paintings depicting the picturesque scenery along the Rhine River and its surrounding regions.

In the 19th century, the Rheiner name was also present in other parts of Europe. For example, records show that a family by the name of Rheiner settled in the Swiss city of Basel, where they established a successful business in the textile industry.

Throughout history, the Rheiner surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, lawyers, theologians, artists, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rheiner

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

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 Rheiner was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only96.32%131
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Rheiner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White96.32%97.30%-1.01%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races(S)%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

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 Rheiner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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