2000
#10,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,957
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Riemer
An occupational surname referring to a maker of leather straps, harnesses, or belts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,290 Americans carry the last name Riemer. That puts it at #10,643 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,181 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riemer 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
3.3K
1 in 104,181
Census rank
#10,643
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,869 bearers of the surname Riemer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10643rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riemer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riemer
The surname RIEMER has its origins in Germany, dating back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "riemen," which means "leather strap" or "belt." This suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as makers or sellers of leather goods, such as belts, harnesses, or straps.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a person named Henricus Riemer was mentioned.
One notable historical figure with the surname RIEMER was Johann Riemer (1648-1714), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Wittenberg and wrote several religious works. Another prominent individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Riemer (1774-1845), a German writer and friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
In the 16th century, the name RIEMER was also found in the Low German regions, where it was spelled as "Remer" or "Reemer." This variation likely arose due to regional dialects and pronunciation differences.
A famous bearer of the name in the 19th century was Carl Theodor Riemer (1816-1888), a German classical philologist and educator who taught at the University of Giessen. Another notable figure was Otto Riemer (1867-1947), a German architect and urban planner who designed several important buildings in Berlin.
The surname RIEMER can also be traced back to place names in Germany, such as Riemering, a municipality in Bavaria. This suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin or residence.
While the name RIEMER has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, it is important to note that historical records and references to the name are more reliable and accurate than modern census data, which may be subject to changes and updates.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riemer
Among Census respondents with the surname Riemer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Riemer 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 Riemer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,637
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 94
- Two or more races3.3% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riemer
Riemer 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
#10,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,039
+82 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 492 places
2020
#10,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,869
-170 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,056 | 2,957 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,548 | 3,039 | 1.03 | +82 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 492 places |
| 2020 | #10,643 | 2,869 | 0.96 | -170 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 95 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 Riemer 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 | #10,548 | #10,643 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,039 | 2,869 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.96 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riemer bearers went from 3,039 to 2,869 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,548 to #10,643.
FAQ
Riemer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riemer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,290 living Americans carry the surname Riemer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,181 residents.
How common is Riemer?
Riemer ranks #10,643 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,869 people with the surname Riemer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,290), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Riemer.
Has Riemer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riemer went from 3,039 recorded bearers to 2,869. That is a decrease of 170 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,548 to #10,643.
What does the Census say about the background of Riemer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riemer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Riemer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riemer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Riemer (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 Riemer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of leather straps, harnesses, or belts. 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 Riemer (0.96 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 Americans have the surname Riemer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.