2000
#5,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Raber
A German occupational surname referring to a turnip grower or seller, derived from the German word "Rübe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,789 Americans carry the last name Raber. That puts it at #4,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,998 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raber 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
8.8K
1 in 38,998
Census rank
#4,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,664 bearers of the surname Raber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raber, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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of the earliest recorded instances of the name Raber can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the year 1195.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raber
Among Census respondents with the surname Raber, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Raber 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 Raber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 7,372
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 145
- Two or more races1.1% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raber
Raber 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
#4,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,261
+1,695 bearers (+30.5%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Up 857 places
2020
#4,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,664
+403 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Up 359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,711 | 5,566 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,854 | 7,261 | 2.46 | +1,695 bearers (+30.5%) | Up 857 places |
| 2020 | #4,495 | 7,664 | 2.56 | +403 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 359 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 Raber 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 | #4,854 | #4,495 | 7.4% |
| Count | 7,261 | 7,664 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.56 | 4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raber bearers went from 7,261 to 7,664 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 359 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,854 to #4,495.
FAQ
Raber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raber?
Name Census estimates that about 8,789 living Americans carry the surname Raber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,998 residents.
How common is Raber?
Raber ranks #4,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,664 people with the surname Raber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,789), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Raber.
Has Raber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raber went from 7,261 recorded bearers to 7,664. That is an increase of 403 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,854 to #4,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Raber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raber, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Raber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (7,372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Raber (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 Raber mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a turnip grower or seller, derived from the German word "Rübe." 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 Raber (2.56 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 share the surname Raber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.