Explore the Family Name Reach
The meaning of Reach
1. Scottish: nickname for someone with streaks of gray or white hair, from Gaelic riabhach ‘brindled, grayish’. 2. English and Scottish: habitational name from either of two places called Reach in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, recorded as Reche in medieval documents, from Old English rǣc ‘raised strip of land or other linear feature’ (in the case of the Cambridgeshire name specifically referring to Devil’s Dyke, a post-Roman earthwork). In some instances the name may be topographic, denoting residence by such a feature, from Middle English reche.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Reach in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Reach saw a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the Reach surname improved from 21,124th place in 2000 to 20,601st place in 2010, marking a 2.48% increase. In terms of occurrence, the count of people with the Reach surname also increased by 11.05%, growing from 1,158 in 2000 to 1,286 in 2010. Accordingly, the proportion per 100k people increased by 2.33%, indicating that the name has grown marginally more common.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,124 | #20,601 | 2.48% |
| Count | 1,158 | 1,286 | 11.05% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.43 | 0.44 | 2.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Reach
In regard to ethnic identity, the Reach surname showed some changes as well, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The proportion of people with the Reach surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander grew by 43.66%, increasing from 6.39% in 2000 to 9.18% in 2010. On the other hand, those identifying as White decreased by 2.44% during this period. The Hispanic population remained nearly steady, with only a slight decrease of 0.40%. Interestingly, there were no Reach individuals identifying as being of two or more races in 2010, unlike in 2000 where 1.99% did. An emergence was also seen in the Black group, where there had been none in 2000, but in 2010, they made up 1.79% of the total. No Reach individuals identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88% | 85.85% | -2.44% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 6.39% | 9.18% | 43.66% |
| Hispanic | 2.5% | 2.49% | -0.4% |
| Black | 0% | 1.79% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.99% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |