2000
#10,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Ringler
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of buckles, clasps, or rings for armor or harnesses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,293 Americans carry the last name Ringler. That puts it at #10,634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ringler 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
3.3K
1 in 104,086
Census rank
#10,634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,872 bearers of the surname Ringler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ringler
The surname Ringler originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Ringler," which means "maker of rings." This suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname given to those who worked as metalworkers or ring-makers.
The earliest known record of the name Ringler dates back to 1543, when it was mentioned in the town records of Nuremberg, a prominent city in the German state of Bavaria. During this period, surnames were becoming increasingly common as a way to distinguish individuals and families.
In the 17th century, the name Ringler began to spread beyond its initial Bavarian origins. Records show that individuals bearing this surname could be found in various parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony and Württemberg.
One notable figure from this era was Johannes Ringler, a renowned clockmaker and inventor who lived in Augsburg, Germany, from 1620 to 1687. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons throughout Europe.
As the Ringler family expanded and migrated, variations in the spelling of the name emerged. Some of the alternative spellings included Ringelmann, Ringlein, and Ringelhahn.
In the 19th century, a number of individuals with the surname Ringler gained recognition in various fields. For instance, Johann Ringler (1817-1892) was a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
Another prominent figure was Karl Ringler (1854-1923), a renowned German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Munich, including the Neue Pinakothek art museum.
As Germans began to emigrate to other parts of the world, the Ringler name spread to various countries. One notable example is Max Ringler (1888-1971), an Austrian-American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early television technology.
In the realm of literature, the surname Ringler is perhaps best associated with the German-American author and academic, William August Ringler Jr. (1924-2005). He was a renowned scholar of Shakespearean studies and served as a professor at several prestigious universities.
Overall, the surname Ringler has a rich and diverse history, spanning multiple centuries and regions. Its origins can be traced back to the occupational roots of metalworking and ring-making in medieval Germany, and it has since been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ringler
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ringler 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 Ringler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,662
- Two or more races3.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ringler
Ringler 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
#9,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,472
+514 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 681 places
2020
#10,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,872
-600 bearers (-17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 1,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,049 | 2,958 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,368 | 3,472 | 1.18 | +514 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 681 places |
| 2020 | #10,634 | 2,872 | 0.96 | -600 bearers (-17.3%) | Down 1,266 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 Ringler 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 | #9,368 | #10,634 | -13.5% |
| Count | 3,472 | 2,872 | -17.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 0.96 | -18.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ringler bearers went from 3,472 to 2,872 (-17.3% change). The surname moved down 1,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,368 to #10,634.
FAQ
Ringler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ringler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,293 living Americans carry the surname Ringler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,086 residents.
How common is Ringler?
Ringler ranks #10,634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,872 people with the surname Ringler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,293), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Ringler.
Has Ringler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ringler went from 3,472 recorded bearers to 2,872. That is a decrease of 600 (-17.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,368 to #10,634.
What does the Census say about the background of Ringler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Ringler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,662 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ringler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Ringler (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 Ringler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of buckles, clasps, or rings for armor or harnesses. 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 Ringler (0.96 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 Ringler?
If you just want to know how many people are called Ringler, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.