NameCensus.

UK surname

Renner

An occupational surname referring to someone who runs or operates a mill or millstone.

In the 1881 census there were 120 people recorded with the Renner surname, ranking it #17,756 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 321, ranked #14,065, up from #17,756 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Woodhorn, Gateshead and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Rutland and Kingston upon Hull.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Renner is 326 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 167.5%.

1881 census count

120

Ranked #17,756

Modern count

321

2016, ranked #14,065

Peak year

2014

326 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Renner had 120 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,756 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 321 in 2016, ranked #14,065.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 170 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Renner surname distribution map

The map shows where the Renner surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Renner surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Renner over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 95 #17,707
1861 historical 110 #19,562
1881 historical 120 #17,756
1891 historical 170 #16,816
1901 historical 170 #16,762
1911 historical 163 #16,939
1997 modern 253 #15,152
1998 modern 262 #15,203
1999 modern 268 #15,070
2000 modern 275 #14,757
2001 modern 274 #14,576
2002 modern 303 #13,909
2003 modern 310 #13,522
2004 modern 290 #14,178
2005 modern 284 #14,306
2006 modern 286 #14,322
2007 modern 289 #14,401
2008 modern 307 #13,907
2009 modern 308 #14,161
2010 modern 308 #14,452
2011 modern 303 #14,506
2012 modern 310 #14,210
2013 modern 318 #14,160
2014 modern 326 #14,006
2015 modern 325 #13,927
2016 modern 321 #14,065

Geography

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Where Renners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Woodhorn, Gateshead, London parishes, Earsdon and Tynemouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Rutland and Kingston upon Hull. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Woodhorn Northumberland
2 Gateshead Durham
3 London parishes London 3
4 Earsdon Northumberland
5 Tynemouth Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 007 Northumberland
3 Northumberland 009 Northumberland
4 Rutland 001 Rutland
5 Kingston upon Hull 030 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Renner

These lists show first names that appear often with the Renner surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Renner

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Renner, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Renner surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Renner household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Renner is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Renner is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Renner falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Renner is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Renner, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Renner

The surname Renner has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "rennen," which means "to run." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a courier or messenger, someone whose occupation involved running or traveling quickly.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Renner" is mentioned in a document dated 1187. This indicates that the name was already in use during that time period in the region of Saxony.

By the 13th century, the name had spread to various parts of Germany, as evidenced by records from cities like Nuremberg and Cologne. In these records, the name appears with slight variations in spelling, such as "Rennar" and "Rennere," reflecting the linguistic differences between dialects and regions.

One notable figure bearing the Renner surname was Johannes Renner, a German printer and woodcut artist who lived from around 1425 to 1501. He is best known for his work in the production of early printed books, particularly those featuring woodcut illustrations.

Another individual of historical significance was Sebastian Renner, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1535 to 1617. He is credited with contributing to the development of trigonometry and publishing works on navigation and astronomy.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Renner family settled in the region of Alsace, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One member of this branch, Johann Friedrich Renner, born in 1661, became a prominent theologian and served as a pastor in the city of Strasbourg.

Moving forward to the 19th century, we find Albert Renner, a German artist and painter born in 1837, who was known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region.

As the name spread throughout Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. One notable example is the American artist and sculptor William Renner, who was born in 1893 and gained recognition for his sculptures and public works of art in the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Renner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Renner surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Northumberland leads with 74 Renners recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.85x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 74 42.85x
Lancashire 12 0.87x
Middlesex 7 0.60x
Cheshire 6 2.34x
Durham 4 1.16x
Surrey 4 0.71x
Lincolnshire 3 1.62x
Yorkshire 3 0.26x
Cumberland 2 2.00x
Essex 2 0.87x
Sussex 2 1.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newbiggin In Morpeth in Northumberland leads with 31 Renners recorded in 1881 and an index of 5636.36x.

Place Total Index
Newbiggin In Morpeth 31 5636.36x
Embleton 10 2702.70x
Great Crosby 8 213.33x
Bedlington 7 121.32x
Belsay 6 3750.00x
Cowpen 5 125.63x
Fenrother 5 16666.67x
Bishopwearmouth 4 13.50x
South Charlton 4 8000.00x
West Derby 4 9.93x
Great Grimsby 3 25.47x
Aspatria 2 208.33x
Holy Trinity 2 7.23x
Liscard 2 43.29x
Paddington London 2 4.69x
Poynings 2 1538.46x
Sandbach 2 91.32x
Tynemouth 2 21.62x
Battersea 1 2.34x
Bermondsey 1 2.89x
Birkenhead 1 4.90x
Brightside Bierlow 1 4.43x
Camberwell 1 1.35x
Chatton 1 188.68x
Croydon 1 3.19x
Davenham 1 434.78x
Elswick 1 7.26x
Longbenton 1 13.68x
Maldon St Peter 1 85.47x
Monkseaton 1 526.32x
Shoreditch London 1 1.99x
St Anne Soho London 1 15.08x
St George Bloomsbury 1 15.02x
St George Hanover 1 6.60x
St Marylebone London 1 1.61x
Walthamstow 1 12.12x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Renner surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 7
Elizabeth 5
Isabella 4
Emma 3
Jane 3
Agnes 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Barbara 2
Charlotte 2
Elisabeth 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Margaret 2
Abigail 1
Ada 1
Alice 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Eleanor 1
Ethel 1
Flora 1
Grace 1
Juliane 1
Kate 1
Leano 1
Liley 1
Lucy 1
Mable 1
Margaretha 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Pauline 1
Rebecca 1
Richard 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Renner surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 9
William 8
Charles 4
Richard 4
Ralph 3
Anthony 2
George 2
James 2
Phillip 2
Thomas 2
Abert 1
Andrew 1
Anton 1
Archibald 1
Benjamin 1
Donald 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Henry 1
Isabella 1
Jacob 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Ord 1
Robert 1
W. 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Renner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Renner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 120 people were recorded with the Renner surname. That placed it at #17,756 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Renner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 321 in 2016. That gives Renner a modern rank of #14,065.

What does the Renner surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who runs or operates a mill or millstone.

What does the Renner map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Renner bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.