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

Riney, 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 Riney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riney in America

Riney is the 14139th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riney surname appeared 2,125 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Riney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riney 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 Riney

The surname RINEY is believed to have originated in France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "rainier," which translates to "frog keeper" or "frog farmer."

In the Middle Ages, the surname likely referred to someone who raised frogs for food or who lived near a marsh or pond where frogs thrived. The name may have also been associated with individuals who lived near a place called Rainier or Rainey.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname RINEY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Rainier" in this historical document.

In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Raoul de Rainey, who owned land in Normandy. This suggests that the RINEY surname had gained some prominence in the region by that time.

During the 16th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Reigney," appears in records from the county of Sussex in England. This indicates that the surname had spread to other parts of the British Isles, likely due to the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

One notable figure with the surname RINEY was Sir John Riney, a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1737 and died in 1819.

Another historical figure was William Riney, an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois in the early 19th century. He was born in 1783 and died in 1837.

In the late 18th century, a village in Brittany called Rainey-sur-Mer is recorded, suggesting that the name may have also been associated with certain geographic locations.

During the 19th century, the surname RINEY appears in records from various regions, including Scotland, where a notable individual named James Riney was born in 1842. He later emigrated to Australia and became a successful businessman.

Overall, the surname RINEY has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its French origins, where it likely referred to individuals involved in frog farming or living in areas with high concentrations of frogs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riney

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

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 Riney 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 Riney 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 Riney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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