Find out how popular the first name Rawlings has been for the last 12 years (from 2012 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Rawlings by gender

Based on the last 12 years of data, Rawlings is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 51% of people named Rawlings being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 22 female babies and 12 male babies born with the name Rawlings.

It's also interesting to see that despite Rawlings being historically a mostly male name, the most recent data from 2023 shows a shift in the trend, with more female babies being named Rawlings.

The history of the first name Rawlings

The name Rawlings is an English surname that has been derived from the medieval given name Rawlin. The earliest known origin of the name dates back to the 12th century in England. Rawlin is thought to be a diminutive form of the Old Norse name Radulfr, which is composed of the elements "rad" meaning counsel, and "ulfr" meaning wolf. It was likely brought to England by Norse settlers during the Viking invasions and gradually evolved into the spelling Rawlin over time.

The name Rawlin gained popularity during the Middle Ages, and its variant spellings such as Rawlings, Rawlingson, and Rawlinson became common surnames. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rawlings can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Radulfus de Rawlings is mentioned.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Rawlings. One of the earliest was Sir Walter Rawlinson (1570-1632), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. Another prominent figure was William Rawlinson (1640-1703), an English lawyer and antiquarian who was known for his collection of manuscripts and books, which later became part of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

In the 18th century, Thomas Rawlinson (1681-1725) was an English clergyman and bibliophile who bequeathed his substantial library to the University of Oxford upon his death. Sir Henry Rawlinson (1810-1895) was a renowned British scholar and diplomat who made significant contributions to the decipherment of cuneiform inscriptions and the study of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations.

Moving into the 20th century, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896-1953) was an American author who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1939 for her novel "The Yearling." She is remembered for her vivid depictions of life in rural Florida and her contributions to southern literature.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Rawlings, a moniker that has its roots in the Old Norse language and has evolved over centuries to become a common English surname and occasionally a given name.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Rawlings was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rawlings, please contact us.

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