Explore the Family Name Rhem

The meaning of Rhem

Americanized form of German Rehm or its variant Remm. This surname is found mainly among African Americans. History: The progenitor of many of the Rhems was Melcher Rhem (or, as spelled in the surviving documents, Remm) from Germany, who died in 1768 in Craven County, NC. He had three sons, all surnamed Rhem.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Rhem in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Rhem has seen a slight increase in popularity in the United States from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Rhem was ranked as the 31,301st most popular surname, but by 2010, it had climbed to the 30,946th spot, representing a 1.13% change. The number of people carrying this surname also increased from 700 in 2000 to 751 in 2010, a rise of 7.29%. However, when considering the proportion of the population with this surname per 100,000 individuals, there was a small decrease of -3.85%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#31,301	#30,946	1.13%
Count	700	751	7.29%
Proportion per 100k	0.26	0.25	-3.85%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rhem

Looking at ethnic identity associated with the surname Rhem, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the largest group is Black, making up 67.43% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 65.91% in 2010. The White demographic represented the next highest percentage, maintaining near consistency from 22.86% in 2000 to 22.90% in 2010. Those identifying with two or more races saw an increase of 20%, while the Asian/Pacific Islander group experienced a 9.67% rise in the same period. There were no reported occurrences of the surname among Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native groups during these years.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	67.43%	65.91%	-2.25%
White	22.86%	22.9%	0.17%
Asian/Pacific Islander	4.86%	5.33%	9.67%
Two or More Races	3%	3.6%	20%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%