2000
#15,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,795
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Riendeau
A surname originating from the French rivière d'eau, meaning small river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,056 Americans carry the last name Riendeau. That puts it at #15,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riendeau 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
2.1K
1 in 166,709
Census rank
#15,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,793 bearers of the surname Riendeau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riendeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riendeau
The surname Riendeau originates from France and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "riande," meaning "stream" or "small river." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a stream or river.
Riendeau is a variant spelling of the French surname Riant, which itself is a derivative of the word "riant," meaning "laughing" or "smiling." The addition of the suffix "-eau" was a common practice in French toponymic surnames, indicating a connection to a specific place or geographical feature.
The earliest known record of the Riendeau surname appears in the 15th century, in the region of Normandy, France. It is mentioned in several historical documents from that time, including parish records and legal contracts.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the Riendeau surname was Jacques Riendeau, born in 1542 in the village of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Normandy. He was a farmer and landowner, and his name can be found in local tax records from the mid-16th century.
Another notable figure was Marie Riendeau, born in 1619 in Rouen, Normandy. She was one of the first European settlers in the French colony of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada), arriving there in 1636. Marie Riendeau played a significant role in the early establishment of the Acadian community.
In the 17th century, several members of the Riendeau family emigrated from France to New France (present-day Quebec, Canada). One of them was Pierre Riendeau, born in 1655 in Normandy, who settled in the Seigneurie de Beaupré near Quebec City in the late 1600s.
Another notable figure was Jean-Baptiste Riendeau, born in 1701 in Quebec City. He was a fur trader and explorer, known for his travels and trading activities in the Great Lakes region of North America.
In the 19th century, Louis-Napoléon Riendeau, born in 1836 in Quebec City, was a prominent lawyer and political figure. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and was involved in several legal cases related to property rights and civil liberties.
Over time, the Riendeau surname has spread to various regions of Canada, the United States, and other parts of the world, due to immigration and the dispersal of family members. However, its roots can be traced back to the historical regions of Normandy and northern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riendeau
Among Census respondents with the surname Riendeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Riendeau 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 Riendeau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,674
- Two or more races3.2% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 28
- Black or African American0.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riendeau
Riendeau 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
#15,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
+121 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 240 places
2020
#15,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
-123 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,078 | 1,795 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,318 | 1,916 | 0.65 | +121 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 240 places |
| 2020 | #15,680 | 1,793 | 0.60 | -123 bearers (-6.4%) | 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 Riendeau 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 | #15,318 | #15,680 | -2.4% |
| Count | 1,916 | 1,793 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.60 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riendeau bearers went from 1,916 to 1,793 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,318 to #15,680.
FAQ
Riendeau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riendeau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,056 living Americans carry the surname Riendeau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,709 residents.
How common is Riendeau?
Riendeau ranks #15,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,793 people with the surname Riendeau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Riendeau.
Has Riendeau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riendeau went from 1,916 recorded bearers to 1,793. That is a decrease of 123 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,318 to #15,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Riendeau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riendeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Riendeau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,674 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riendeau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Riendeau (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 Riendeau mean?
A surname originating from the French rivière d'eau, meaning small river or stream. 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 Riendeau (0.60 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 last name Riendeau?
You can see how many people have the surname Riendeau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.