2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rinka
Of Ukrainian origin, a surname potentially denoting a person from Rinka, a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Rinka. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rinka 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Rinka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rinka
The surname Rinka has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "rinke," meaning a narrow path or alley between houses. This term likely referred to someone who lived near such a path or alley.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared as "Rincke" in historical documents from northern Germany and the Netherlands. It was initially concentrated in areas such as Hamburg, Bremen, and the surrounding regions.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Bremen Burgher Book of 1612, which documented the names of citizens in the city. The entry "Hans Rincke" is listed among the records, suggesting the presence of the surname in this area during that time period.
The name Rinka is also believed to have connections to certain place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Rinkerode in Lower Saxony may have derived its name from the same root word, indicating a potential link between the surname and geographic locations.
Among notable historical figures bearing the surname Rinka, Johannes Rinka (1639-1701) was a German theologian and author from Hamburg, known for his works on Christian ethics and moral theology.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Rinka (1793-1857), a German painter and engraver from Berlin, whose landscapes and etchings were highly regarded during the 19th century.
In the realm of politics, Heinrich Rinka (1855-1932) was a German Social Democratic politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) from 1912 to 1918, representing the city of Hamburg.
Turning to the literary world, Else Rinka (1876-1962) was a German writer and poet from Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), known for her works depicting life in East Prussia.
Lastly, a figure of historical significance is Gerhard Rinka (1920-2002), a German soldier and tank commander during World War II, who later became a military historian and author, documenting his experiences in the conflict.
While the surname Rinka may not be among the most widespread, its roots can be traced back to the linguistic and cultural heritage of northern Germany, reflecting the region's influence on the development of this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rinka
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rinka 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 Rinka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rinka
Rinka 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,510 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,642 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 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 12,510 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 4,642 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 Rinka 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 | #148,347 | #152,989 | -3.1% |
| Count | 111 | 105 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rinka bearers went from 111 to 105 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 4,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,989.
FAQ
Rinka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rinka?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Rinka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Rinka?
Rinka ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Rinka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Rinka.
Has Rinka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rinka went from 111 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Rinka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Rinka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rinka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Rinka (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 Rinka mean?
Of Ukrainian origin, a surname potentially denoting a person from Rinka, a place name. 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 Rinka (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 have the last name Rinka?
You can see how many people have the last name Rinka on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.