2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Riensche
A surname derived from a placename in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Riensche. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riensche 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Riensche in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riensche, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riensche
The surname Riensche is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of Germany during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "rein," meaning "pure" or "clean," potentially referring to someone who lived near a clean or pure water source.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Riensche can be found in the municipal records of the city of Hamburg, where a Hans Riensche was listed as a merchant in the year 1487. This early record suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 15th century.
The Riensche surname can also be traced back to the town of Reinsdorf, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is possible that the name originated as a locational surname, referring to individuals who hailed from this particular town or its surrounding areas.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Riensche name was Johann Riensche, a Protestant theologian and reformer born in 1523 in the town of Zwickau, Saxony. He played a significant role in the spread of the Reformation movement in central Germany during that time.
Another notable individual was Wilhelm Riensche, a German artist and painter who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1767 in the city of Dresden, Riensche gained recognition for his landscape paintings and portraiture, with many of his works still displayed in galleries across Germany.
In the 19th century, the Riensche name can be found in the records of the city of Berlin, where a family of merchants and businessmen bearing this surname were prominent members of the local community. One such individual was Friedrich Riensche, born in 1841, who established a successful trading company that operated throughout the German states.
While not as common as some other German surnames, the Riensche name has persisted throughout history, with various individuals making their mark in various fields, from theology and art to commerce and trade. Its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in northern Germany, where it likely emerged as a locational or descriptive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riensche
Among Census respondents with the surname Riensche, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Riensche 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 Riensche surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riensche
Riensche 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,496 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,736 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,496 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,736 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 Riensche 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 | #147,253 | #152,989 | -3.9% |
| Count | 112 | 105 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riensche bearers went from 112 to 105 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,736 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,989.
FAQ
Riensche surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riensche?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Riensche. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Riensche?
Riensche ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Riensche. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Riensche.
Has Riensche become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riensche went from 112 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Riensche?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riensche, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Riensche in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riensche appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Riensche (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 Riensche mean?
A surname derived from a placename in Germany. 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 Riensche (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 many people are called Riensche?
See how many Americans have the surname Riensche on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.