Find out how popular the last name Rinehart is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rinehart.

Rinehart, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rinehart surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rinehart in America

Rinehart is the 2688th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rinehart surname appeared 13,392 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Rinehart.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rinehart to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rinehart

The surname Rinehart is of German origin, derived from the German words "rein" meaning "pure" or "clean" and "hart" meaning "hardy" or "strong". It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname referring to someone who was considered pure and strong in character or physical attributes.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central areas. One of the earliest known records of the name appears in the church records of the town of Mittelfranken in Bavaria, where a family by the name of Rinehart is mentioned in the year 1537.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name spread to other parts of Europe as German settlers migrated to various regions. In the United States, the name Rinehart first appeared in the late 18th century with the arrival of German immigrants, particularly those from Pennsylvania and other areas with significant German populations.

One notable individual with the surname Rinehart was Johann Christian Rinehart, a German-American potter and entrepreneur born in 1770 in Hesse, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in the late 18th century and established a successful pottery business in Baltimore, Maryland, which became a prominent supplier of stoneware and ceramics in the early 19th century.

Another significant figure was Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958), an American novelist and playwright who was often referred to as the "mother of the modern mystery novel". She was a prolific writer and is credited with popularizing the "had-I-but-known" mystery genre, where the central character looks back on events and realizes the clues that were missed.

In the 19th century, the name Rinehart was also associated with various places in the United States, such as Rinehart Creek in Oregon and Rinehart Knob in West Virginia, which were likely named after early settlers or landowners with the surname.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rinehart include William Henry Rinehart (1825-1874), an American sculptor known for his monumental works, and Robert Rinehart (1910-1976), an American actor and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows during the mid-20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rinehart

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rinehart.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rinehart was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rinehart has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rinehart was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rinehart, please contact us.

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