Find out how popular the last name Raber is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Raber.

Raber, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Raber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Raber in America

Raber is the 4854th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Raber surname appeared 7,261 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Raber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Raber to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Raber

The surname Raber has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "raben," meaning "raven" or "crow." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with dark hair or complexion, or perhaps someone who lived near a place frequented by these birds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Raber can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the year 1195. This document mentions a person named "Raber de Halberstadt," indicating that the name was present in the region of Halberstadt during that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Stadtbuch von Mühlhausen, a record book from the town of Mühlhausen in Thuringia. Here, a person named "Hanse Raber" is listed as a citizen of the town in the year 1363.

During the 15th century, the name Raber was also present in the region of Bavaria. The Freisinger Bürgerbuch, a citizen registry from the town of Freising, contains an entry for a person named "Ulrich Raber" in the year 1472.

One notable bearer of the surname Raber was Johann Raber, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1552 to 1611. He was born in Nuremberg and served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.

Another significant figure with the surname Raber was Johann Nepomuk Raber, a German musician and composer who lived from 1772 to 1832. He was born in Trostberg, Bavaria, and is known for his contributions to church music and compositions for the organ.

In the 19th century, the name Raber was also found in the region of Baden-Württemberg. The genealogical records of the town of Sulzfeld mention a family called Raber, with members such as Johann Georg Raber (1789-1863) and his son, Johann Michael Raber (1823-1902).

While the surname Raber has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, where it was likely brought by German immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Raber

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Raber.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Raber was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Raber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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