2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rabiner
A surname derived from the word "Rabbi", referring to a Jewish religious teacher or scholar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 148 Americans carry the last name Rabiner. That puts it at #135,344 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,315,908 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabiner 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
148
1 in 2,315,908
Census rank
#135,344
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
129
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 129 bearers of the surname Rabiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 135344th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabiner
The surname Rabiner is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, derived from the German word "Rabbiner," which means "rabbi." It is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages or early modern period, around the 15th to 17th centuries, in various German-speaking regions of Central and Eastern Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rabiner can be found in the records of the Jewish community of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. The name is also mentioned in various documents from the 17th and 18th centuries in Poland, Lithuania, and other areas with significant Ashkenazi Jewish populations.
The Rabiner surname was likely adopted by individuals who were either rabbis themselves or were descendants of rabbis. In traditional Jewish communities, the title of "rabbi" carried significant respect and authority, and it was common for families to adopt surnames related to their occupations or positions within the community.
A notable individual with the surname Rabiner was Rabbi Yitzchak Rabiner, a prominent 17th-century scholar and author from Poland. He wrote several important works on Jewish law and philosophy, including "Nachalat Shiv'ah" and "Nachalat Yitzchak."
Another historically significant figure was Rabbi Yosef Rabiner, a 19th-century rabbi and author from Galicia (now part of Poland and Ukraine). He was known for his influential works on Jewish ethics and mysticism, such as "Zera Kodesh" and "Ben Porat Yosef."
In the 18th century, there was a notable family of Rabiner scholars and rabbis in the city of Krakow, Poland. This family produced several generations of respected rabbis, including Rabbi Moshe Rabiner and Rabbi Shmuel Rabiner.
The surname Rabiner can also be found in various historical records and documents from other regions with significant Jewish communities, such as Germany, Hungary, and Romania. However, due to the widespread migration and displacement of Jewish communities throughout history, the name has likely spread to many other parts of the world.
It is important to note that while the surname Rabiner has its origins in the Jewish community, it has likely been adopted by individuals of various backgrounds and religious affiliations over time, especially in more recent centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabiner 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 Rabiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.4% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabiner
Rabiner 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-4 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,577 places
2020
#135,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+6 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11,577 places |
| 2020 | #135,344 | 129 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 1,105 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 Rabiner 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 | #136,449 | #135,344 | 0.8% |
| Count | 123 | 129 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabiner bearers went from 123 to 129 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 1,105 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #135,344.
FAQ
Rabiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabiner?
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the surname Rabiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,315,908 residents.
How common is Rabiner?
Rabiner ranks #135,344 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 129 people with the surname Rabiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rabiner.
Has Rabiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabiner went from 123 recorded bearers to 129. That is an increase of 6 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #136,449 to #135,344.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Rabiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.4% (127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Rabiner (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 Rabiner mean?
A surname derived from the word "Rabbi", referring to a Jewish religious teacher or scholar. 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 Rabiner (0.04 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 Rabiner?
If you just want to know how many people are called Rabiner, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.