2000
#8,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,341
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Rabinowitz
Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew given name Reuven, meaning "behold, a son," combined with the German suffix -witz.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,807 Americans carry the last name Rabinowitz. That puts it at #9,394 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabinowitz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rabinowitz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,033
Census rank
#9,394
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,320 bearers of the surname Rabinowitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9394th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabinowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabinowitz
The surname Rabinowitz originates from the Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the Jewish male given name "Reuben" or "Reuven" in Hebrew, which means "behold, a son" or "he has seen my misery."
The Rabinowitz surname is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century, during a time when Jews in Eastern Europe were required to adopt hereditary surnames. The suffix "-owitz" or "-vich" is a Slavic patronymic ending, indicating "son of." Thus, Rabinowitz literally translates to "son of Reuben" or "son of Rabbi."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rabinowitz surname can be found in the 1765 Revision List, a census-like document compiled in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This record mentions a Leyzor Rabinowicz from the town of Zelva, now in Belarus.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures with the Rabinowitz surname. One such individual was Rabbi Moshe Rabinowitz (1805-1866), a prominent Hasidic rabbi and author from Shklov, Belarus. Another was Solomon Rabinovich (1859-1916), a Russian-Jewish banker and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the Russian oil industry.
Nachman Rabinovich (1835-1910), better known as Nachman Krochmal, was a renowned Jewish historian, philosopher, and maskil (proponent of the Jewish Enlightenment) from Galicia, now part of Ukraine. His seminal work, "Guide for the Perplexed of the Time," had a profound impact on Jewish thought and historiography.
Yitzhak Rabinovich (1910-1982), better known as Yitzhak Rabin, was an Israeli politician and military leader who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Israel. He played a pivotal role in the Oslo Accords and was tragically assassinated in 1995.
Another notable figure was Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Rabinovich (1905-1990), a renowned Hasidic rabbi and rosh yeshiva (head of a Talmudic academy) in Jerusalem. He was a respected authority on Jewish law and a prolific author.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the Rabinowitz surname who have made significant contributions throughout history in various fields, including religion, philosophy, business, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabinowitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabinowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabinowitz 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 Rabinowitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 3,181
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 68
- Two or more races1.2% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabinowitz
Rabinowitz 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
#9,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,544
+203 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#9,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,320
-224 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,997 | 3,341 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,203 | 3,544 | 1.20 | +203 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #9,394 | 3,320 | 1.11 | -224 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 191 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 Rabinowitz 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 | #9,203 | #9,394 | -2.1% |
| Count | 3,544 | 3,320 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.11 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabinowitz bearers went from 3,544 to 3,320 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,203 to #9,394.
FAQ
Rabinowitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabinowitz?
Name Census estimates that about 3,807 living Americans carry the surname Rabinowitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,033 residents.
How common is Rabinowitz?
Rabinowitz ranks #9,394 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,320 people with the surname Rabinowitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,807), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Rabinowitz.
Has Rabinowitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabinowitz went from 3,544 recorded bearers to 3,320. That is a decrease of 224 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,203 to #9,394.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabinowitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabinowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Rabinowitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (3,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabinowitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Rabinowitz (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 Rabinowitz mean?
Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew given name Reuven, meaning "behold, a son," combined with the German suffix -witz. 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 Rabinowitz (1.11 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 common is the surname Rabinowitz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Rabinowitz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.