2000
#12,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,330
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Rabago
A Basque surname derived from the word "raba," meaning a field turnip or a place where turnips grow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,010 Americans carry the last name Rabago. That puts it at #11,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,872 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabago surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,872
Census rank
#11,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,625 bearers of the surname Rabago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%) and White (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabago
The surname Rabago has its origins in Spain, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged around the 12th to 13th century. The name is derived from the old Spanish word "rábago," which means "thunderbolt" or "lightning bolt." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who possessed a fiery personality or who was known for their quick temper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rabago can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a census-like document dating back to the 14th century. This document listed landowners and their properties throughout the regions of Castile and León. Several individuals with the surname Rabago were mentioned in connection with various villages and towns.
In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the name Rabago began to appear in records from the New World. Juan Rabago, born around 1520, was one of the earliest Spanish settlers to establish himself in what is now Mexico City. He is noted as being a successful merchant and landowner.
As the centuries passed, the Rabago surname spread throughout Spain and its colonies. In the late 18th century, a notable figure was Pedro Rabago y Terán, a Spanish military officer and explorer. He was born in 1745 and played a significant role in mapping and surveying the northern regions of Mexico and parts of what is now the southwestern United States.
Another prominent individual with the Rabago surname was José María Rabago, a Mexican lawyer and politician born in 1800. He served as a deputy in the Mexican Congress and was a staunch supporter of liberal reforms during a turbulent period in the country's history.
In the 19th century, the Rabago name appeared in various parts of Spain and Latin America. One notable example is Mariano Rabago y Navarro, a Spanish painter born in 1865. He was known for his landscapes and portraits, and his works can be found in several museums in Spain.
Throughout its history, the Rabago surname has been associated with various locations and place names. In Spain, it has been particularly prevalent in regions like Cantabria, Asturias, and Castile-León. In Latin America, it has strong roots in Mexico, as well as countries like Colombia and Venezuela, reflecting the migrations of Spanish settlers during the colonial era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabago
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%) and White (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabago bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rabago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.3% · 1,951
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.1% · 423
- White6.7% · 175
- Two or more races1.8% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 26
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabago
Rabago appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,794
+464 bearers (+19.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 950 places
2020
#11,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,625
-169 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,252 | 2,330 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,302 | 2,794 | 0.95 | +464 bearers (+19.9%) | Up 950 places |
| 2020 | #11,477 | 2,625 | 0.88 | -169 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 175 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rabago surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,302 | #11,477 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,794 | 2,625 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.88 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabago bearers went from 2,794 to 2,625 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,302 to #11,477.
FAQ
Rabago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabago?
Name Census estimates that about 3,010 living Americans carry the surname Rabago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,872 residents.
How common is Rabago?
Rabago ranks #11,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,625 people with the surname Rabago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rabago.
Has Rabago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabago went from 2,794 recorded bearers to 2,625. That is a decrease of 169 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,302 to #11,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%) and White (6.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rabago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (1,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%), White (6.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rabago (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rabago mean?
A Basque surname derived from the word "raba," meaning a field turnip or a place where turnips grow. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rabago (0.88 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Rabago?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.