2000
#6,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,614
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Rhyne
Habitational surname derived from places named Rheine or Rhyn in Germany, likely referring to someone from those locations.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,977 Americans carry the last name Rhyne. That puts it at #7,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rhyne 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
5.0K
1 in 68,868
Census rank
#7,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,340 bearers of the surname Rhyne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rhyne
The surname Rhyne has its origins in the German and Dutch languages, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "rīn," meaning "Rhine," referring to the famous river that flows through central Europe. This suggests that the name likely originated among families living near or along the banks of the Rhine River.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rhyne surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "de Reno," a latinized version of the Germanic root. This entry indicates that individuals bearing this surname were present in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
In the 13th century, historical records from the German region of the Rhineland mention individuals with the surname Rhyne or similar spellings, such as Rhein or Rein. These variations likely arose due to differences in regional dialects and scribal errors in transcribing the name.
A notable figure bearing the Rhyne surname was Johannes Rhyne, a Dutch botanist and physician born in 1640. He is best known for his pioneering work in documenting the flora and fauna of the Cape Colony in South Africa during the 17th century.
Another prominent individual was John Rhyne, an English musician and composer born in 1572. He served as a court musician for Queen Elizabeth I and is credited with composing several instrumental works that were popular during the Elizabethan era.
In the realm of literature, the American author Steen Rhyne, born in 1928, gained recognition for his novels and short stories depicting life in the Southern United States. His works often explored themes of identity, family dynamics, and the complexities of human relationships.
The surname Rhyne has also been associated with notable figures in other fields, such as Sir John Rhyne, a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century, and Elizabeth Rhyne, an American economist and expert in microfinance, who has made significant contributions to poverty alleviation efforts worldwide.
While the Rhyne surname has its roots in Germanic languages, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making their mark across different disciplines and eras throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhyne
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rhyne 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 Rhyne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 3,585
- Black or African American10.5% · 454
- Two or more races4.1% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rhyne
Rhyne 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
#7,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,518
-96 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 637 places
2020
#7,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,340
-178 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,736 | 4,614 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,373 | 4,518 | 1.53 | -96 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 637 places |
| 2020 | #7,410 | 4,340 | 1.45 | -178 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 37 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 Rhyne 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 | #7,373 | #7,410 | -0.5% |
| Count | 4,518 | 4,340 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.45 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rhyne bearers went from 4,518 to 4,340 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,373 to #7,410.
FAQ
Rhyne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rhyne?
Name Census estimates that about 4,977 living Americans carry the surname Rhyne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,868 residents.
How common is Rhyne?
Rhyne ranks #7,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,340 people with the surname Rhyne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Rhyne.
Has Rhyne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rhyne went from 4,518 recorded bearers to 4,340. That is a decrease of 178 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,373 to #7,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Rhyne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Rhyne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (3,585 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rhyne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (10.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Rhyne (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 Rhyne mean?
Habitational surname derived from places named Rheine or Rhyn in Germany, likely referring to someone from those locations. 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 Rhyne (1.45 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 surname Rhyne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.