2000
#10,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,841
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Riner
An occupational surname for a person who made or repaired harnesses and bridles for horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,019 Americans carry the last name Riner. That puts it at #11,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riner 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
3.0K
1 in 113,532
Census rank
#11,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,633 bearers of the surname Riner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riner
The surname RINER has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, located in the western part of Germany. The name is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "rinne," which means "groove" or "channel," possibly referring to someone who lived near a stream or watercourse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RINER surname can be found in the Würzburg census records of 1295, where a certain Johannes Riner is listed as a resident of the city. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans Riner (c. 1420-1490) was a master builder and architect who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city of Nuremberg. His work is considered a significant contribution to the architectural heritage of the region.
The RINER surname also appears in various historical documents from other parts of Germany, such as the town records of Erfurt from the 16th century, where a family by the name of Riner is mentioned as landowners.
Moving into the 17th century, one of the most prominent individuals bearing the RINER surname was Johann Riner (1590-1668), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher. He served as a professor at the University of Jena and was known for his works on logic and metaphysics.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was Wilhelm Riner (1828-1901), a German painter and illustrator who was particularly renowned for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Germany.
As the surname spread beyond its original region, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Reiner, Reinert, and Rhiner, which can be found in historical records from different parts of Europe and even in the United States, where German immigrants settled.
Overall, the RINER surname has a rich history rooted in the German language and culture, with a notable presence in various fields, including architecture, theology, philosophy, and the arts, throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riner
Among Census respondents with the surname Riner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Riner 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 Riner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,403
- Two or more races4.4% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 24
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riner
Riner 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
#10,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,963
+122 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 371 places
2020
#11,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,633
-330 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 684 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,394 | 2,841 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,765 | 2,963 | 1.00 | +122 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 371 places |
| 2020 | #11,449 | 2,633 | 0.88 | -330 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 684 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 Riner 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 | #10,765 | #11,449 | -6.4% |
| Count | 2,963 | 2,633 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.88 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riner bearers went from 2,963 to 2,633 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 684 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,765 to #11,449.
FAQ
Riner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,019 living Americans carry the surname Riner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,532 residents.
How common is Riner?
Riner ranks #11,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,633 people with the surname Riner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Riner.
Has Riner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riner went from 2,963 recorded bearers to 2,633. That is a decrease of 330 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,765 to #11,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Riner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Riner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,403 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Riner (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 Riner mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or repaired harnesses and bridles for horses. 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 Riner (0.88 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 share the surname Riner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.