2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rymes
An archaic surname derived from the Anglo-Norman French "rime," meaning rhyme or verse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Rymes. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rymes 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Rymes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rymes, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rymes
The surname RYMES has its origins in medieval England, deriving from the Old English word "rym," which meant a strip or border of land. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in Norfolk and Suffolk counties.
One of the earliest known bearers of the RYMES surname was Sir John Rymes, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the village of Rymes Regis, Norfolk, in the late 13th century. This location is believed to have taken its name from the Rymes family, who were among the original lords of the manor.
In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings compiled by order of William the Conqueror, several entries mention individuals with variations of the RYMES surname, such as Ryme and Rimes. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England before the Norman Conquest.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the RYMES surname began to spread across other regions of England, including Essex, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire. Notable individuals from this period include Robert Rymes, a wealthy merchant from Hull who lived in the early 15th century, and William Rymes, a prominent clergyman who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1536 to 1549.
In the 16th century, the RYMES surname gained further recognition with the birth of Thomas Rymes, a celebrated English poet and courtier who was born in Lincolnshire in 1528. His works, including sonnets and odes, were highly regarded during the Elizabethan era, and he was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure was Sir John Rymes, a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Norfolk in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in local politics and served as a Justice of the Peace.
As the surname spread across the British Isles, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ryme, Rimes, and Rymmes. These alternate spellings were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rymes
Among Census respondents with the surname Rymes, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rymes 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 Rymes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 77
- Black or African American26.7% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rymes
Rymes 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+18 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,296 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 9,296 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,888 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 Rymes 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 | #141,140 | #145,028 | -2.8% |
| Count | 118 | 116 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rymes bearers went from 118 to 116 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,028.
FAQ
Rymes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rymes?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Rymes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Rymes?
Rymes ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Rymes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Rymes.
Has Rymes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rymes went from 118 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Rymes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rymes, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Rymes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rymes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (26.7%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Rymes (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 Rymes mean?
An archaic surname derived from the Anglo-Norman French "rime," meaning rhyme or verse. 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 Rymes (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 Rymes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.