2000
#5,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.96
Rare Last name
Rittenhouse
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "house on the ridge" in Middle English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,703 Americans carry the last name Rittenhouse. That puts it at #6,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,101 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rittenhouse 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
5.7K
1 in 60,101
Census rank
#6,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,973 bearers of the surname Rittenhouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rittenhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rittenhouse
The surname Rittenhouse has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "Ritter" meaning "knight" and "Haus" meaning "house", indicating that the original bearers of this name were likely associated with a knight's household or resided in a structure owned by a knight.
The earliest recorded instances of the Rittenhouse surname date back to the 13th century, appearing in various medieval documents and records from German-speaking regions. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Rittenhouse, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Rittershausen, near Mainz, in the late 1200s.
In the 16th century, the Rittenhouse name appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family of that name was involved in the metalworking trade. One notable member of this family was Hans Rittenhouse, a master goldsmith and engraver who created intricate works of art for the city's wealthy patrons in the mid-1500s.
The Rittenhouse surname eventually spread beyond Germany, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and later to the American colonies. One of the most famous bearers of the name was David Rittenhouse (1732-1796), an American astronomer, inventor, and mathematician who was born in Pennsylvania. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was instrumental in the construction of the first telescope in the United States.
Another notable individual with the Rittenhouse surname was William Rittenhouse (1644-1708), a Quaker who emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. He founded the settlement of Germantown, which later became part of Philadelphia, and played a crucial role in the early development of the colony.
In the 19th century, the Rittenhouse name was associated with several individuals who made their mark in various fields. One such figure was Isaac Rittenhouse (1793-1858), a prominent lawyer and politician from New York who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Throughout its history, the Rittenhouse surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting the rich tapestry of human experience and achievement. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has left an indelible mark on the cultural and historical landscapes of various nations and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rittenhouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Rittenhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rittenhouse 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 Rittenhouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 4,512
- Two or more races3.1% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 143
- Black or African American2.3% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rittenhouse
Rittenhouse 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
#6,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,378
+90 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 342 places
2020
#6,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,973
-405 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 214 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,997 | 5,288 | 1.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,339 | 5,378 | 1.82 | +90 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 342 places |
| 2020 | #6,553 | 4,973 | 1.66 | -405 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 214 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 Rittenhouse 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 | #6,339 | #6,553 | -3.4% |
| Count | 5,378 | 4,973 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.66 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rittenhouse bearers went from 5,378 to 4,973 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 214 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,339 to #6,553.
FAQ
Rittenhouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rittenhouse?
Name Census estimates that about 5,703 living Americans carry the surname Rittenhouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,101 residents.
How common is Rittenhouse?
Rittenhouse ranks #6,553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,973 people with the surname Rittenhouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rittenhouse.
Has Rittenhouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rittenhouse went from 5,378 recorded bearers to 4,973. That is a decrease of 405 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,339 to #6,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Rittenhouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rittenhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Rittenhouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (4,512 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rittenhouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Rittenhouse (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 Rittenhouse mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "house on the ridge" in Middle English. 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 Rittenhouse (1.66 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 Rittenhouse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.