2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rhinebolt
A geographical surname derived from a place name incorporating "Rhine" and "bolt," possibly referring to someone who lived near a bend in the Rhine River.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Rhinebolt. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rhinebolt 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Rhinebolt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhinebolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rhinebolt
The surname RHINEBOLT has its origins in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, specifically in the area along the Rhine River. The name likely emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century.
The name RHINEBOLT is derived from the combination of two Old German words: "Rhein," meaning the Rhine River, and "bolt," which can refer to a bolt or arrow used in archery or warfare. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near the Rhine River and was associated with archery or military activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RHINEBOLT can be found in a document from the city of Cologne, dated around 1492, which mentions a certain "Hans Rhinebolt" as a local resident. Another early reference comes from a military record from the 16th century, which lists a soldier named "Konrad Rhinebolt" serving in the army of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 17th century, the name RHINEBOLT appears in several church records from various towns and villages along the Rhine River, indicating that families with this surname had settled in the region. Some notable individuals from this period include Johann Rhinebolt (1622-1687), a prominent merchant from the city of Mainz, and Anna Rhinebolt (1649-1712), a midwife from the town of Bingen.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the RHINEBOLT surname spread beyond the Rhine region as families migrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Rhinebolt (1789-1867), a German-American engineer who played a significant role in the construction of early railroad systems in the United States.
Other individuals with the RHINEBOLT surname include:
1. Wilhelm Rhinebolt (1812-1879), a German painter known for his landscape and genre scenes.
2. Elisabeth Rhinebolt (1835-1911), a German-American educator and advocate for women's rights.
3. Karl Rhinebolt (1872-1948), an Austrian-American scientist who made contributions in the field of chemistry.
4. Heinrich Rhinebolt (1901-1976), a German soldier who served in both World Wars and later became a writer, chronicling his experiences.
5. Ingrid Rhinebolt (1927-2002), a German-born American actress who appeared in several Hollywood films during the 1950s and 1960s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhinebolt
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhinebolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rhinebolt 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 Rhinebolt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rhinebolt
Rhinebolt 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,393 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 2,393 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 362 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 Rhinebolt 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 | #143,149 | #143,511 | -0.3% |
| Count | 116 | 118 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rhinebolt bearers went from 116 to 118 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #143,511.
FAQ
Rhinebolt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rhinebolt?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Rhinebolt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Rhinebolt?
Rhinebolt ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Rhinebolt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Rhinebolt.
Has Rhinebolt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rhinebolt went from 116 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Rhinebolt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhinebolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Rhinebolt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rhinebolt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%), Black (1.7%). 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 Rhinebolt (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 Rhinebolt mean?
A geographical surname derived from a place name incorporating "Rhine" and "bolt," possibly referring to someone who lived near a bend in the Rhine River. 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 Rhinebolt (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 common is the surname Rhinebolt?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Rhinebolt, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.