2000
#11,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Rine
Derived from the Middle High German word "Rain," referring to someone who lived near a field boundary or balk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,530 Americans carry the last name Rine. That puts it at #13,254 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rine 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 Rine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 135,476
Census rank
#13,254
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,206 bearers of the surname Rine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13254th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rine, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rine
The surname RINE is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English word "ryne," which means "a small stream or watercourse." This name was likely first adopted by individuals who lived near a small stream or rivulet.
The earliest recorded bearer of this surname was Robert de Ryne, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of homages sworn to King Edward I of England during his conquest of Scotland. This suggests that the name was already established in Scotland by the late 13th century.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1366, which mention a Johannes de Ryne. This indicates that the surname was still in use and had variations in spelling during the 14th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the RINE surname was Sir William Rine, a Scottish knight who lived in the late 14th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Robert III of Scotland and played a significant role in the wars against the English during the latter part of the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Perth Guildry Book of 1586, which listed a merchant named David Rine. This suggests that the surname had spread to urban areas and was associated with trades and professions.
During the 17th century, the RINE surname had established itself in various parts of Scotland, as evidenced by the birth of James Rine (1632-1698), a notable Presbyterian minister who served in the parish of Kilconquhar, Fife.
Another notable bearer of the RINE surname was Alexander Rine (1757-1841), a Scottish writer and historian who authored several works on Scottish history and literature. He was born in Cupar, Fife, and his works provide valuable insights into the cultural and historical context of Scotland during his lifetime.
The RINE surname also has connections to place names in Scotland, such as Rine Burn, a small stream near Crail in Fife, and Rine Hill, a prominent hill in the Scottish Borders region. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and its origins related to watercourses and geographical features.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rine
Among Census respondents with the surname Rine, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rine 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 Rine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,053
- Two or more races2.8% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 43
- Black or African American1.0% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rine
Rine 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
#12,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,370
-25 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 997 places
2020
#13,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,206
-164 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 293 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,964 | 2,395 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,961 | 2,370 | 0.80 | -25 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 997 places |
| 2020 | #13,254 | 2,206 | 0.74 | -164 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 293 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 Rine 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 | #12,961 | #13,254 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,370 | 2,206 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.74 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rine bearers went from 2,370 to 2,206 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 293 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,961 to #13,254.
FAQ
Rine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rine?
Name Census estimates that about 2,530 living Americans carry the surname Rine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,476 residents.
How common is Rine?
Rine ranks #13,254 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,206 people with the surname Rine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,530), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Rine.
Has Rine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rine went from 2,370 recorded bearers to 2,206. That is a decrease of 164 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,961 to #13,254.
What does the Census say about the background of Rine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rine, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) 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 Rine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%), 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 Rine (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 Rine mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "Rain," referring to someone who lived near a field boundary or balk. 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 Rine (0.74 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 Rine?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.