2000
#4,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,526
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.79
Rare Last name
Rinaldi
An Italian surname referring to someone from Rinaldo, a place name derived from the Germanic name Raginwald.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,158 Americans carry the last name Rinaldi. That puts it at #4,818 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rinaldi 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rinaldi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 42,015
Census rank
#4,818
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,114 bearers of the surname Rinaldi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4818th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinaldi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rinaldi
The surname Rinaldi originated in Italy, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian personal name Rinaldo, which in turn comes from the Germanic elements "rin" meaning "advice" and "wald" meaning "rule."
The Rinaldi name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, where it can be traced back to noble families who were prominent landowners and influential figures in their respective communities. Some of the earliest examples of the name appear in medieval records and manuscripts from these areas.
One notable historical reference is the inclusion of the Rinaldi family in the Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana (Book of Gold of the Italian Nobility), a compendium of noble Italian families compiled in the 16th century. This document highlights the family's long-standing aristocratic lineage and their contributions to various aspects of Italian society.
Among the earliest recorded instances of the Rinaldi name is Ugolino Rinaldi, a prominent merchant and banker who lived in Florence during the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Matteo Rinaldi (1515-1582), a renowned jurist and legal scholar from Bologna, whose works on Roman law were widely influential during the Renaissance period.
Throughout the centuries, several Rinaldis have achieved significant recognition in various fields. One such individual was Odoardo Rinaldi (1594-1671), an Italian Oratorian priest and historian who authored the influential work Annales Ecclesiastici, a comprehensive ecclesiastical history spanning from the birth of Christ to the year 1198.
Another noteworthy Rinaldi was Giovanni Rinaldi (1820-1897), an Italian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1892 to 1893. He played a crucial role in the process of Italian unification and the development of the country's political institutions.
In the realm of arts and culture, Carlo Rinaldi (1856-1931) was a prominent Italian sculptor and painter. His works, characterized by their neoclassical style, can be found in various public spaces and museums across Italy.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the Rinaldi surname throughout history, contributing to the rich tapestry of Italian culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rinaldi
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinaldi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rinaldi 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 Rinaldi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 6,408
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 428
- Two or more races2.3% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 64
- Black or African American0.5% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rinaldi
Rinaldi 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
#4,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,756
+230 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 212 places
2020
#4,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,114
-642 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,361 | 7,526 | 2.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,573 | 7,756 | 2.63 | +230 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 212 places |
| 2020 | #4,818 | 7,114 | 2.38 | -642 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 245 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 Rinaldi 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 | #4,573 | #4,818 | -5.4% |
| Count | 7,756 | 7,114 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.38 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rinaldi bearers went from 7,756 to 7,114 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,573 to #4,818.
FAQ
Rinaldi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rinaldi?
Name Census estimates that about 8,158 living Americans carry the surname Rinaldi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,015 residents.
How common is Rinaldi?
Rinaldi ranks #4,818 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,114 people with the surname Rinaldi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rinaldi.
Has Rinaldi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rinaldi went from 7,756 recorded bearers to 7,114. That is a decrease of 642 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,573 to #4,818.
What does the Census say about the background of Rinaldi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinaldi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Rinaldi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (6,408 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rinaldi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Rinaldi (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 Rinaldi mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone from Rinaldo, a place name derived from the Germanic name Raginwald. 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 Rinaldi (2.38 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 Rinaldi?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Rinaldi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.