2000
#7,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Rabon
A French occupational surname for a grower or seller of turnips, derived from the Old French "rabon" meaning "turnip."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,231 Americans carry the last name Rabon. That puts it at #8,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabon 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
4.2K
1 in 81,010
Census rank
#8,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,690 bearers of the surname Rabon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabon, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabon
The surname Rabon is of French origin, first appearing in the historical records of the Normandy region of northern France during the 11th century. The name is believed to derive from the Old French word "rabot," meaning a carpenter's plane or woodworking tool. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for a woodworker or carpenter.
As the Normans expanded their influence into England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, the Rabon surname was introduced to Britain. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholders and their holdings throughout England. The Rabon entry is listed under the county of Yorkshire, indicating the family's presence in that region.
By the 13th century, variations of the name had emerged, such as Rabon, Rabone, and Raybone. These spellings likely reflected regional dialects and the phonetic interpretation of the name by scribes and record-keepers of the time.
A notable early bearer of the Rabon surname was Sir John Rabon, a knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century (c. 1330-1400). Records also indicate a William Rabon, born in 1452 in the village of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England.
As the Rabon family spread throughout England, they established roots in various counties, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Warwickshire. The name Rabon is also associated with the village of Ravenstone in Leicestershire, possibly indicating a connection to a place name or indicating that some Rabon families may have originated from or resided in that area.
Other notable Rabon individuals throughout history include Edward Rabon, a merchant and landowner in Bristol, England, born in 1625. Additionally, there is record of a Thomas Rabon, born in 1712 in Staffordshire, England, who served as a magistrate and justice of the peace in his local community.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, some members of the Rabon family had migrated to the American colonies, where the surname took on various spellings, including Rabon, Rabone, and Raybone. These early American Rabons contributed to the growth and development of the new nation, though specific details of their lives and roles have been lost to time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabon
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabon, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabon 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 Rabon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 3,075
- Black or African American6.8% · 252
- Two or more races4.6% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabon
Rabon 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
#8,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,112
+166 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 284 places
2020
#8,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,690
-422 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,765 | 3,946 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,049 | 4,112 | 1.39 | +166 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 284 places |
| 2020 | #8,557 | 3,690 | 1.23 | -422 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 508 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 Rabon 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 | #8,049 | #8,557 | -6.3% |
| Count | 4,112 | 3,690 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.23 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabon bearers went from 4,112 to 3,690 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 508 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,049 to #8,557.
FAQ
Rabon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabon?
Name Census estimates that about 4,231 living Americans carry the surname Rabon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,010 residents.
How common is Rabon?
Rabon ranks #8,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,690 people with the surname Rabon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Rabon.
Has Rabon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabon went from 4,112 recorded bearers to 3,690. That is a decrease of 422 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,049 to #8,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabon, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Rabon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (3,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (6.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Rabon (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 Rabon mean?
A French occupational surname for a grower or seller of turnips, derived from the Old French "rabon" meaning "turnip." 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 Rabon (1.23 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 surname Rabon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.