2000
#10,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Rink
Derived from Middle Low German "rinc" or Middle Dutch "rinck," meaning a ring, circle, or circular area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,142 Americans carry the last name Rink. That puts it at #11,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rink 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
3.1K
1 in 109,088
Census rank
#11,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,740 bearers of the surname Rink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rink
The surname RINK is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "rinc," which meant a circular enclosure or a ring-shaped fortification. The name likely originated as a descriptive identifier for someone who lived near or worked at such a structure.
In the early medieval period, the name was often spelled as "Rinck" or "Rincke." It first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with references to individuals bearing this surname in various regions of present-day Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the RINK surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Michaelis Bambergensis, a 13th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery in Bamberg, Germany. This record lists a certain "Conradus Rinck" as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1257.
In the 14th century, the name gained prominence with the emergence of Johannes Rink, a notable scholar and theologian from Nuremberg, who lived between 1365 and 1432. His writings on ecclesiastical law and canon law were widely influential during the Renaissance period.
Another notable figure bearing the RINK surname was Hans Rink, a German sculptor and woodcarver who lived from 1530 to 1599. His intricate woodcarvings adorned many churches and cathedrals in the Bavarian region, showcasing his exceptional craftsmanship.
As the surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Rinke," "Rincke," and "Rincken." In the 16th century, a prominent Dutch family adopted the spelling "Rink," and one of its members, Pieter Rink, became a successful merchant and alderman in Amsterdam, serving from 1587 to 1612.
In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Rink, a German astronomer and mathematician, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Born in 1717 in Saxony, he worked as a professor at the University of Leipzig and published numerous works on astronomy and astrophysics.
As the RINK surname spread across different regions and countries, it continued to be associated with various professions and individuals throughout history, leaving an indelible mark on the tapestry of human civilization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rink
Among Census respondents with the surname Rink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rink 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 Rink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,529
- Two or more races2.9% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 67
- Black or African American1.5% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rink
Rink 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
#10,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,099
+194 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 205 places
2020
#11,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,740
-359 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,191 | 2,905 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,396 | 3,099 | 1.05 | +194 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 205 places |
| 2020 | #11,067 | 2,740 | 0.92 | -359 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 671 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 Rink 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 | #10,396 | #11,067 | -6.5% |
| Count | 3,099 | 2,740 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.92 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rink bearers went from 3,099 to 2,740 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 671 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,396 to #11,067.
FAQ
Rink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rink?
Name Census estimates that about 3,142 living Americans carry the surname Rink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,088 residents.
How common is Rink?
Rink ranks #11,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,740 people with the surname Rink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Rink.
Has Rink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rink went from 3,099 recorded bearers to 2,740. That is a decrease of 359 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,396 to #11,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Rink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Rink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Rink (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 Rink mean?
Derived from Middle Low German "rinc" or Middle Dutch "rinck," meaning a ring, circle, or circular area. 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 Rink (0.92 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 Americans have the surname Rink?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.