2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ringwalt
A derivation of the German surname meaning someone who lived on a circular embankment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Ringwalt. 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 Ringwalt 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 Ringwalt 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 Ringwalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ringwalt
The surname Ringwalt has its origins in the German language, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to have originated from the German regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is derived from the Middle High German words "rinc," meaning "ring," and "walt," meaning "forest" or "wooded area."
One of the earliest known references to the Ringwalt name can be found in the records of the town of Esslingen am Neckar, located in the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg. The records mention a Johann Ringwalt, who lived in the town in the late 16th century and worked as a blacksmith.
In the 17th century, the Ringwalt family spread across various regions of Germany, with some members migrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. Notable individuals bearing the Ringwalt name during this period include Hans Ringwalt (1587-1649), a Protestant pastor and theologian from Nuremberg, and Johann Friedrich Ringwalt (1638-1701), a renowned composer and organist from Mannheim.
As the Ringwalt family continued to grow and disperse, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Ringwald, Ringwaldt, and Ringwalde. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local scribes' interpretations of the name.
One of the earliest known instances of the Ringwalt name in the United States can be traced back to Johann Michael Ringwalt, who immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. He settled in the area now known as Berks County and established a farm there.
Another notable figure bearing the Ringwalt name was Johann Conrad Ringwalt (1745-1825), a German-American clockmaker and craftsman who lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His clocks and furniture pieces are highly sought after by collectors today.
In the 19th century, the Ringwalt family continued to spread across the United States, with many members settling in Ohio, Indiana, and other Midwestern states. One prominent individual from this era was Henry Zollinger Ringwalt (1801-1876), a lawyer and politician from Ohio who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.
As the centuries passed, the Ringwalt name has been carried by individuals from various professions and walks of life, including artists, musicians, writers, and academics. Notable examples include Ralph Curtis Ringwalt (1857-1933), an American painter and educator, and Johann Baptist Ringwalt (1833-1916), a German-American Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools and parishes in the Midwest.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ringwalt
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringwalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ringwalt 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 Ringwalt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 95
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ringwalt
Ringwalt 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-14 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,735 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 22,735 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Ringwalt 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 | #151,532 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ringwalt bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Ringwalt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ringwalt?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Ringwalt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Ringwalt?
Ringwalt 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 Ringwalt. 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 Ringwalt.
Has Ringwalt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ringwalt went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Ringwalt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ringwalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Ringwalt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ringwalt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Two or More Races (7.1%), Black (3.6%). 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 Ringwalt (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 Ringwalt mean?
A derivation of the German surname meaning someone who lived on a circular embankment. 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 Ringwalt (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 share the surname Ringwalt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.