2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rabins
A variant of the French surname "Rabin", meaning a rabbi or Jewish religious leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Rabins. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabins 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Rabins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabins, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabins
The surname Rabins has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the region that is now known as Poland and Russia. It is believed to have emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century, derived from the Hebrew name Reuben, which means "behold, a son."
The name Rabins is thought to be a variation of the more common surname Rabinowitz, which itself is a patronymic name derived from the Jewish personal name Rabin, meaning "rabbi" or "teacher." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the Rabins name may have been descendants of rabbis or scholars.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rabins can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the late 16th century. These records include references to individuals with the surname Rabins residing in various towns and villages across the region.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Rabins was Yitzchak Rabins (1720-1795), a renowned Talmudic scholar and author from the town of Vilna, now known as Vilnius, Lithuania. His works on Jewish law and philosophy were widely studied and influential in his time.
Another prominent individual with the Rabins surname was Leib Rabins (1845-1919), a Russian-born Hebrew writer and educator who played a significant role in the revival of the Hebrew language and the development of modern Hebrew literature. He is particularly known for his children's stories and fables, which were instrumental in introducing Hebrew as a spoken language in educational settings.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Rabins surname began to appear more frequently in various parts of Europe and the Americas, as many Jewish families emigrated from Eastern Europe to escape persecution and seek better opportunities. Some notable individuals from this period include:
1. Max Rabins (1865-1941), a Russian-born American artist and illustrator known for his portraits and landscapes.
2. Sarah Rabins (1880-1965), a Polish-born American activist and labor organizer who played a key role in the garment workers' union movement in New York City.
3. Yakov Rabins (1895-1976), a Russian-born Israeli painter and sculptor whose works often depicted scenes from everyday life in Israel and the Middle East.
While the Rabins surname may not be as widespread as some other Jewish surnames, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from academia and literature to art and activism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabins
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabins, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabins 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 Rabins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 99
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabins
Rabins 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,854 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13,854 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,445 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 Rabins 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 | #145,220 | #148,665 | -2.4% |
| Count | 114 | 111 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabins bearers went from 114 to 111 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #148,665.
FAQ
Rabins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabins?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Rabins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Rabins?
Rabins ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Rabins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Rabins.
Has Rabins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabins went from 114 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabins, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Rabins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Rabins (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 Rabins mean?
A variant of the French surname "Rabin", meaning a rabbi or Jewish religious leader. 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 Rabins (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 common is the surname Rabins?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Rabins? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.