2000
#6,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.89
Rare Last name
Ringer
An occupational surname referring to a bell ringer or someone who fitted rings to animals' noses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,351 Americans carry the last name Ringer. That puts it at #6,937 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,054 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ringer 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 Ringer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 64,054
Census rank
#6,937
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,666 bearers of the surname Ringer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6937th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ringer
The surname Ringer is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Ring," which refers to a circular band or object, as well as the old German occupational term "Ringmacher," meaning a maker of rings or objects with rings.
The name is thought to have initially referred to individuals who worked as ring makers, metalworkers, or artisans involved in the production of rings or other circular objects. It may also have been applied to those living near a circular or ring-shaped geographical feature, such as a bend in a river or a circular earthwork.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ringer can be found in the 1381 census records of the city of Regensburg in Bavaria, where a certain Hans Ringer is listed as a resident. Another early reference is found in the 1437 tax records of Nuremberg, which mention a Jacob Ringer.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records across German-speaking regions. For example, a Matthias Ringer is recorded in the 1532 church records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, while a Hans Ringer is mentioned in the 1589 municipal records of Augsburg.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Rynger, Ringher, and Ringere. A notable early bearer of the name was Martin Ringer, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1585 in Augsburg, who made significant contributions to the development of logarithms and trigonometric tables.
In the 17th century, the name Ringer began to appear in records beyond Germany, as bearers of the name migrated to other parts of Europe and later to the Americas and other parts of the world. Johann Ringer, a German immigrant to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century, is considered one of the earliest known bearers of the name in North America.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ringer throughout history include:
1. Johann Ringer (1700-1768), a German-born architect and builder who designed several churches and public buildings in Pennsylvania.
2. Friedrich Ringer (1832-1908), a German-born physician and physiologist who made important discoveries in the field of electrolyte balance and is credited with developing the Ringer's solution used in intravenous therapy.
3. Edith Ringer (1887-1973), a British artist and illustrator known for her botanical illustrations and watercolor paintings.
4. Sir Sydney Ringer (1835-1910), an English physician and pharmacologist who made significant contributions to the study of the effects of drugs on the cardiovascular system.
5. Llewellyn Ringer (1920-2005), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Ringer Corporation, a successful construction and engineering firm.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ringer
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ringer 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 Ringer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 3,798
- Black or African American10.8% · 506
- Two or more races3.8% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ringer
Ringer 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
#6,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,283
+191 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#6,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,666
-617 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,191 | 5,092 | 1.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,430 | 5,283 | 1.79 | +191 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #6,937 | 4,666 | 1.56 | -617 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 507 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 Ringer 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 | #6,430 | #6,937 | -7.9% |
| Count | 5,283 | 4,666 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.56 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ringer bearers went from 5,283 to 4,666 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 507 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,430 to #6,937.
FAQ
Ringer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ringer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,351 living Americans carry the surname Ringer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,054 residents.
How common is Ringer?
Ringer ranks #6,937 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,666 people with the surname Ringer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,351), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ringer.
Has Ringer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ringer went from 5,283 recorded bearers to 4,666. That is a decrease of 617 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,430 to #6,937.
What does the Census say about the background of Ringer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ringer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (3,798 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ringer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (10.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ringer (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 Ringer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a bell ringer or someone who fitted rings to animals' noses. 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 Ringer (1.56 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 Ringer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Ringer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.