The Rea surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,819 people carried this name — #2,443 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 19,900 people counted. That is up 8% from 13,708 in 2000.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 4,070 people named Rea live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 473 people named Rea.
Most of them — 248 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 25 départements, most often Rhône.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
108 people named Rea live in Switzerland.
They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Aargau.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In print
Rea in American newspapers,
1800–1919.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.
Who carried it
People named Rea,
with a public archive behind them.
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John Rea d. 1681 · landscape architect
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Sarah Rea d. 1851
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Louisa Blacker d. 1815
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Elizabeth Sophia Rea d. 1900
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Daniel Key Rea d. 1884
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George Rea d. 1943
Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Rea.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Rea is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.