2000
#6,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,485
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Rinker
An occupational surname for a tanner or a barrel maker who rinses skins or wooden staves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,866 Americans carry the last name Rinker. That puts it at #7,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,439 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rinker 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
4.9K
1 in 70,439
Census rank
#7,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,243 bearers of the surname Rinker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rinker
The surname Rinker is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Ring," which means "ring" or "circle," and may have been used as an occupational name for someone who worked as a ring-maker or jeweler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rinker can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Johannes Rinker was mentioned in a document from the year 1298. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family named Rinker residing in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, Germany. The family is believed to have been involved in the metalworking trade, further supporting the theory that the name was originally an occupational surname.
As the Rinker family spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Rincker, Rinkert, and Rincken. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
One notable individual with the surname Rinker was Johann Rinker (1545-1612), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. His works on Protestant theology were widely read and influential during the Reformation period.
Another significant figure was Hans Rinker (1670-1748), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in the Baroque style, including the Schloss Favorite in Rastatt, Germany. His work was highly regarded and helped to shape the architectural landscape of the region.
In the 19th century, a prominent German-American with the surname Rinker was John Rinker (1824-1899), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Rinker Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois. His company played a significant role in the city's burgeoning beer industry and helped establish German-American culture in the region.
Another noteworthy individual was Gertrude Rinker (1888-1976), an American philanthropist and patron of the arts. She was a major supporter of the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, and her contributions helped to establish the museum as a cultural hub in the area.
Throughout history, the surname Rinker has been associated with various professions and occupations, from metalworkers and jewelers to theologians, architects, and entrepreneurs. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by those who emigrated from their ancestral homelands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rinker
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rinker 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 Rinker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 3,928
- Two or more races3.3% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rinker
Rinker 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
#7,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,750
+265 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#7,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,243
-507 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,901 | 4,485 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,050 | 4,750 | 1.61 | +265 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #7,549 | 4,243 | 1.42 | -507 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 499 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 Rinker 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 | #7,050 | #7,549 | -7.1% |
| Count | 4,750 | 4,243 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.42 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rinker bearers went from 4,750 to 4,243 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 499 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,050 to #7,549.
FAQ
Rinker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rinker?
Name Census estimates that about 4,866 living Americans carry the surname Rinker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,439 residents.
How common is Rinker?
Rinker ranks #7,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,243 people with the surname Rinker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Rinker.
Has Rinker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rinker went from 4,750 recorded bearers to 4,243. That is a decrease of 507 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,050 to #7,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Rinker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Rinker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (3,928 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rinker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Rinker (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 Rinker mean?
An occupational surname for a tanner or a barrel maker who rinses skins or wooden staves. 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 Rinker (1.42 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 Rinker?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Rinker at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.