2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Risener
A German surname derived from a place name or related to the occupation of cattle-raising or dairying.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Risener. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Risener 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Risener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Risener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Risener
The surname Risener is believed to have originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is likely derived from the German word "Reisender," which means "traveler" or "wanderer." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who traveled frequently or lived a nomadic lifestyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Risener can be found in the village of Niedersachsen, located in northern Germany. In a church record from 1587, a family by the name of Risener is mentioned, indicating their presence in the region during that period.
The name Risener also appears in various historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as land records and census data. One notable mention is in the "Oberamtsbuch" (administrative book) of the city of Mannheim, where a Johann Risener is listed as a resident in the year 1685.
During the 18th century, the name Risener began to spread beyond Germany, with some bearers migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Hans Risener, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in 1752, becoming one of the first known Riseners in the American colonies.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the Risener name was Karl Risener, a German artist and painter born in 1826 in the city of Cologne. His works were widely acclaimed during his lifetime, and some of his paintings can still be found in museums across Europe.
Another prominent individual with the surname Risener was Wilhelm Risener, a German politician and lawyer who lived from 1857 to 1935. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the Imperial Diet) and was known for his advocacy of workers' rights and social welfare policies.
While the name Risener is not among the most common surnames, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, from artists and politicians to immigrants and settlers. The name's origins as a descriptor of a traveler or wanderer reflect the journeys and migrations that have shaped its legacy over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Risener
Among Census respondents with the surname Risener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Risener 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 Risener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 99
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Risener
Risener 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+24 bearers (+22.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,237 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-19 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,055 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +24 bearers (+22.6%) | Up 13,237 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 18,055 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 Risener 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 | #130,610 | #148,665 | -13.8% |
| Count | 130 | 111 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Risener bearers went from 130 to 111 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 18,055 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #148,665.
FAQ
Risener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Risener?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Risener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Risener?
Risener ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Risener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Risener.
Has Risener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Risener went from 130 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Risener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Risener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Risener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Risener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (6.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Risener (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 Risener mean?
A German surname derived from a place name or related to the occupation of cattle-raising or dairying. 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 Risener (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 Americans have the surname Risener?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.