2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rimm
A rare German surname derived from the Old German word "hrimmo", meaning "rust" or "ocher".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Rimm. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rimm 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Rimm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rimm, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rimm
The surname RIMM is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from one of several places called Rimm or Rhym, which likely derived their names from the Old English word "rima" meaning "rim" or "edge."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name RIMM can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1195, where a Richard de Ryma is mentioned. This suggests that the RIMM surname had become established in Yorkshire by the late 12th century.
Another early record of the name appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex, dated 1285, which mentions a John de Rymmes. This entry provides evidence of the surname's presence in Essex during the 13th century, potentially originating from a place called Rymmes or Rimmes within the county.
In the 14th century, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 record a William Rymme, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332 mention a John Rymme. These records demonstrate the widespread distribution of the RIMM surname across various regions of England by the early 14th century.
One notable individual with the surname RIMM was Sir Thomas Rimm (c.1430-1499), who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1483. Another prominent figure was John Rimm (1590-1667), a English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works during the 17th century.
Other early bearers of the RIMM surname include William Rimm (c.1550-1610), a merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, and Richard Rimm (1628-1692), a farmer and member of the local militia in Hertfordshire during the English Civil War.
The RIMM surname also has a historical presence in Scotland, with records showing families bearing the name in the Scottish Lowlands as early as the 16th century. One example is James Rimm (1575-1641), a Scottish lawyer and landowner from Ayrshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rimm
Among Census respondents with the surname Rimm, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rimm 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 Rimm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 90
- Black or African American12.5% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rimm
Rimm 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,418 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,418 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 393 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 Rimm 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 | #148,347 | #147,954 | 0.3% |
| Count | 111 | 112 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rimm bearers went from 111 to 112 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 393 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #147,954.
FAQ
Rimm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rimm?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Rimm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Rimm?
Rimm ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Rimm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Rimm.
Has Rimm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rimm went from 111 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Rimm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rimm, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Rimm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rimm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Black (12.5%), Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Rimm (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 Rimm mean?
A rare German surname derived from the Old German word "hrimmo", meaning "rust" or "ocher". 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 Rimm (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 Rimm?
Find out how many people are called Rimm on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.