2000
#7,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,315
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Rabe
A German occupational surname referring to someone who kept or traded ravens or crows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,101 Americans carry the last name Rabe. That puts it at #7,237 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,194 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabe 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
5.1K
1 in 67,194
Census rank
#7,237
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,448 bearers of the surname Rabe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7237th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabe, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabe
The surname Rabe is of German origin, derived from the German word "Rabe," which means "raven" or "crow." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion, resembling the plumage of a raven.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. In the town of Goslar, Lower Saxony, a record from 1297 mentions a person named Henricus Rabe. Additionally, a document from 1331 in the city of Kolberg (now Kolobrzeg, Poland) references a certain Nicolaus Rabe.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Raben, Rabe, and Rabin, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. Some historical records suggest that the name may have been associated with certain occupations, such as falconry or hunting, where ravens or crows played a role.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the scholar and humanist Johann Rabe (1497-1548), a renowned professor of philosophy and theology at the University of Marburg. Another notable figure was the German poet and dramatist Paul Rabe (1580-1636), known for his plays and religious works.
The 17th century saw the rise of the Rabe family in the city of Lübeck, where they were prominent merchants and ship owners. One member, Joachim Rabe (1630-1693), served as a mayor of Lübeck and played a significant role in the city's affairs.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with the German philosopher and mathematician Johann Jakob Rabe (1714-1793), who made contributions to calculus and was a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences.
Moving into the 19th century, Johann Gottfried Rabe (1831-1907) was a renowned German explorer and naturalist, known for his expeditions to West Africa and his contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the region.
The surname Rabe has been carried by many notable individuals throughout history, spanning various fields, including academia, literature, politics, and exploration. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped human societies over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabe
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabe, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabe 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 Rabe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 3,817
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 244
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 193
- Two or more races3.5% · 157
- Black or African American0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabe
Rabe 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
#7,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,472
+157 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 311 places
2020
#7,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,448
-24 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,139 | 4,315 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,450 | 4,472 | 1.52 | +157 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 311 places |
| 2020 | #7,237 | 4,448 | 1.49 | -24 bearers (-0.5%) | Up 213 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 Rabe 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 | #7,450 | #7,237 | 2.9% |
| Count | 4,472 | 4,448 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.49 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabe bearers went from 4,472 to 4,448 (-0.5% change). The surname moved up 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,450 to #7,237.
FAQ
Rabe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabe?
Name Census estimates that about 5,101 living Americans carry the surname Rabe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,194 residents.
How common is Rabe?
Rabe ranks #7,237 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,448 people with the surname Rabe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Rabe.
Has Rabe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabe went from 4,472 recorded bearers to 4,448. That is a decrease of 24 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,450 to #7,237.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabe, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Rabe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (3,817 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Rabe (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 Rabe mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who kept or traded ravens or crows. 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 Rabe (1.49 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 Rabe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.