2000
#14,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Riney
Derived from the Irish surname "Ó Raithne," meaning "descendant of Raithne," a personal name of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,147 Americans carry the last name Riney. That puts it at #15,126 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riney 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
2.1K
1 in 159,643
Census rank
#15,126
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,872 bearers of the surname Riney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15126th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The name appears as "Rainier" in this historical document.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riney
Among Census respondents with the surname Riney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Riney 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 Riney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 1,607
- Black or African American7.7% · 145
- Two or more races2.9% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riney
Riney 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
#14,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,125
+245 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 400 places
2020
#15,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,872
-253 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 987 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,539 | 1,880 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,139 | 2,125 | 0.72 | +245 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 400 places |
| 2020 | #15,126 | 1,872 | 0.63 | -253 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 987 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 Riney 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 | #14,139 | #15,126 | -7.0% |
| Count | 2,125 | 1,872 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.63 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riney bearers went from 2,125 to 1,872 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 987 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,139 to #15,126.
FAQ
Riney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riney?
Name Census estimates that about 2,147 living Americans carry the surname Riney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,643 residents.
How common is Riney?
Riney ranks #15,126 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,872 people with the surname Riney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,147), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Riney.
Has Riney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riney went from 2,125 recorded bearers to 1,872. That is a decrease of 253 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,139 to #15,126.
What does the Census say about the background of Riney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Riney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (1,607 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Riney (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 Riney mean?
Derived from the Irish surname "Ó Raithne," meaning "descendant of Raithne," a personal name of uncertain origin. 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 Riney (0.63 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 Riney?
If you just want to know how common the surname Riney is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.