2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ringsmuth
A German surname possibly referring to a ring maker or jeweler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Ringsmuth. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ringsmuth 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Ringsmuth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringsmuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ringsmuth
The surname RINGSMUTH is of German origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is derived from the compound words "Ring," meaning "circle" or "ring," and "Mut," which can be translated as "courage" or "spirit." Together, the name RINGSMUTH may have initially signified a person with a resolute or courageous spirit.
One of the earliest known references to the name RINGSMUTH can be found in a record from the town of Esslingen, near Stuttgart, dating back to 1578. The document mentions a certain Hans RINGSMUTH, a tradesman who had settled in the area. Another early mention of the name is in a church register from the village of Kirchheim unter Teck, also in southern Germany, where a Johann RINGSMUTH was recorded as a resident in 1596.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the RINGSMUTH name appeared in various records across southern Germany, indicating the gradual spread of the family across the region. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Matthias RINGSMUTH (1592-1648), a Lutheran theologian and author from Nürnberg, who wrote several influential works on religious doctrine and ethics.
As the RINGSMUTH family migrated and settled in different parts of Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged. Examples include RINGSMUHT, RINGSMUT, and RINGSMÜTH, reflecting regional dialects and local pronunciation. In some instances, the name was also associated with particular place names, such as Ringsmuthhausen, a small village near Heidelberg, where a branch of the RINGSMUTH family had established roots.
Prominent figures bearing the RINGSMUTH surname include Johannes RINGSMUTH (1705-1778), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Augsburg, who was credited with several innovations in the field of timepiece mechanisms. Another notable individual was Katharina RINGSMUTH (1737-1811), a respected midwife and herbalist from the town of Maulbronn, whose expertise in traditional remedies and childbirth practices was widely recognized in her time.
In the 19th century, the RINGSMUTH name continued to appear in various records across Germany, with some members of the family emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas in search of new opportunities. One such individual was Wilhelm RINGSMUTH (1825-1892), a successful merchant and entrepreneur who established a thriving import-export business in Hamburg, trading goods with markets in the United States and South America.
While the RINGSMUTH surname may have evolved and spread over the centuries, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the southern regions of Germany, where the name first emerged as a reflection of the courageous and spirited nature of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ringsmuth
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringsmuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ringsmuth 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 Ringsmuth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ringsmuth
Ringsmuth appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Ringsmuth 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 | #136,449 | #142,049 | -4.1% |
| Count | 123 | 120 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ringsmuth bearers went from 123 to 120 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,049.
FAQ
Ringsmuth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ringsmuth?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Ringsmuth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Ringsmuth?
Ringsmuth ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Ringsmuth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Ringsmuth.
Has Ringsmuth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ringsmuth went from 123 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Ringsmuth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringsmuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Ringsmuth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ringsmuth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Ringsmuth (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 Ringsmuth mean?
A German surname possibly referring to a ring maker or jeweler. 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 Ringsmuth (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 Ringsmuth?
See how common the surname Ringsmuth is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.