Find out how popular the last name Rymer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rymer.

Rymer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rymer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rymer in America

Rymer is the 10517th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rymer surname appeared 3,050 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rymer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rymer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rymer

The surname Rymer is an occupational name, derived from the Old English word 'rimour', which means a poet or a reciter of verse. It originated in England in the medieval period, when minstrels and poets were revered for their ability to entertain and educate through poetry and song.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Thomas Rymer, a poet and minstrel who lived in the late 13th century. He is believed to have served in the court of King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners and tenants in England. It is spelled as "Rymour" and "Rimour" in these records.

The name Rymer is also closely associated with the town of Rymer's Green, a small village in Staffordshire, England. This place name is believed to have derived from the surname, suggesting that the Rymer family had a significant presence in the area.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Rymer was Thomas the Rhymer, a legendary Scottish poet and prophet who lived in the 13th century (c. 1220-1297). He is famous for his supposed encounter with the Queen of Elfland and his prophetic verses, which were widely circulated in medieval Scotland.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Rymer (1638-1713), an English historian and antiquarian who served as the Historiographer Royal under King William III and Queen Anne. He is best known for his work "Foedera," a collection of treaties and diplomatic documents related to English history.

In the literary world, the name is associated with James Malcolm Rymer (1803-1884), an English writer and playwright who was a prolific contributor to the penny dreadful publications of the 19th century.

Ralph Rymer (1510-1592) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in the 16th century.

The Rymer family also had a notable presence in the American colonies, with John Rymer (1633-1677) being one of the earliest settlers in Virginia. He served as a member of the House of Burgesses, the legislative assembly of the Virginia Colony.

While the name Rymer has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with bearers of the surname found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rymer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rymer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rymer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rymer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rymer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rymer, please contact us.

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