2000
#10,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Rabb
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a rabbi's house or a Jewish quarter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,020 Americans carry the last name Rabb. That puts it at #11,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabb 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 113,495
Census rank
#11,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,634 bearers of the surname Rabb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabb, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabb
The surname RABB is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hrycg," which means "ridge" or "hill," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or near a prominent ridge or hill.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Robbe." This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time, with later spellings including "Robb," "Robbe," and eventually "RABB."
One notable historical reference to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1301, which mention a person named "William Robb." These early records indicate that the name was present in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset.
In the 14th century, the name RABB is recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, where a person named "John Robb" is mentioned in 1349. This suggests that the name had spread to other regions of England by this time.
Notable individuals with the surname RABB throughout history include:
1. Walter RABB (c. 1450-1520), a prominent merchant and landowner in Bristol, England, known for his involvement in the wool trade.
2. Elizabeth RABB (1570-1645), an English Puritan colonist who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony and was one of the founders of the town of Andover.
3. James RABB (1662-1727), a Scottish-born Anglican clergyman who served as the Bishop of Gloucester from 1718 until his death.
4. John RABB (1715-1789), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Earl of Chesterfield's House and St. Luke's Church.
5. Mary RABB (1784-1860), an English writer and poet, known for her collection of poems titled "Poems on Various Subjects" published in 1812.
It's worth noting that while the name RABB has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through migration and settlement patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabb
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabb, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabb 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 Rabb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.0% · 1,318
- Black or African American41.7% · 1,098
- Two or more races3.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabb
Rabb 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
#10,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,899
+89 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 491 places
2020
#11,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,634
-265 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,483 | 2,810 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,974 | 2,899 | 0.98 | +89 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 491 places |
| 2020 | #11,441 | 2,634 | 0.88 | -265 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 467 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 Rabb 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 | #10,974 | #11,441 | -4.3% |
| Count | 2,899 | 2,634 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.88 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabb bearers went from 2,899 to 2,634 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 467 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,974 to #11,441.
FAQ
Rabb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabb?
Name Census estimates that about 3,020 living Americans carry the surname Rabb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,495 residents.
How common is Rabb?
Rabb ranks #11,441 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 2,634 people with the surname Rabb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,020), 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 Rabb.
Has Rabb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabb went from 2,899 recorded bearers to 2,634. That is a decrease of 265 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,974 to #11,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabb, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rabb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (1,318 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.0%), Black (41.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rabb (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 Rabb mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a rabbi's house or a Jewish quarter. 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 Rabb (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 people have the last name Rabb?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Rabb on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.