2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ringholz
Wood ring used in construction or crafting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Ringholz. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ringholz 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Ringholz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ringholz
The surname Ringholz is of German origin, and it dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was commonly used as a occupational name for those who worked with wood, specifically in the production and maintenance of wooden rings or bands used for various purposes, such as barrels or wheels.
The name is derived from the German words "Ring," meaning "ring," and "Holz," meaning "wood." The combination of these two words, "Ringholz," likely referred to the trade or craft of making wooden rings or bands, which was a common occupation in those regions during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ringholz can be found in the 1589 baptismal records of the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Hans Ringholz was listed as a resident. Another early reference is in the 1612 tax records of the town of Bamberg, which mentions a Johann Ringholz as a taxpayer.
In the 17th century, the name Ringholz appears in various church records and municipal documents across various German states and principalities, indicating its widespread use during that time. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Georg Ringholz (1647-1721), a prominent Lutheran pastor and theologian from Saxony.
Another person of note was Friedrich August Ringholz (1768-1842), a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded a successful brewery in the city of Leipzig. His descendants continued the family business for several generations, contributing to the growth and development of the local economy.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Ringholz name in the United States was Johann Ringholz (1795-1867), who immigrated from Bavaria to Pennsylvania in 1823. He worked as a cooper, or barrel maker, which was likely related to his surname's occupational origins.
Other notable individuals with the Ringholz surname include Karl Ringholz (1856-1914), a German-American artist and painter who was known for his landscape and genre works, and Erich Ringholz (1902-1988), a German-born philosopher and academic who taught at various universities in Europe and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ringholz
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ringholz 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 Ringholz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ringholz
Ringholz 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+8 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,490 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,627 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 1,490 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 10,627 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 Ringholz 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 | #137,327 | #147,954 | -7.7% |
| Count | 122 | 112 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ringholz bearers went from 122 to 112 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 10,627 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #147,954.
FAQ
Ringholz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ringholz?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Ringholz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Ringholz?
Ringholz ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Ringholz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ringholz.
Has Ringholz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ringholz went from 122 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Ringholz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Ringholz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ringholz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Ringholz (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 Ringholz mean?
Wood ring used in construction or crafting. 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 Ringholz (0.04 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 are called Ringholz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ringholz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.