2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rabus
A variant of the German surname Rabe, derived from the word for "raven."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Rabus. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rabus 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Rabus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rabus
The surname Rabus is believed to have originated in Germany. It is thought to be derived from the German word "raben," which means "raven." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname to someone who had a physical resemblance to the bird or whose behavior was reminiscent of a raven.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rabus can be found in the town of Wittenberg, Germany, in the 16th century. A man named Hans Rabus was mentioned in a document from 1542, though the exact nature of the record is unclear.
In the late 16th century, a German scholar and theologian named Ludwig Rabus was born in the town of Schwäbisch Hall, located in modern-day Baden-Württemberg. He lived from 1572 to 1635 and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
Another notable figure with the surname Rabus was Johann Jakob Rabus, a German historian and writer who was born in Nuremberg in 1662. He is best known for his work "Historisch-Politisch-Geographischer Atlas der gantzen Welt," which was published in 1709.
Variations of the name can be found throughout German-speaking regions, with spellings such as Rabbus, Rabuß, and Rabuhs appearing in historical records. The name may have also been influenced by the German word "rabe," which means "crow," as the two birds are similar in appearance and behavior.
In the 18th century, a German composer and organist named Christian Gottlob Rabus was born in Hirschberg, Silesia (now part of Poland). He lived from 1714 to 1787 and was known for his works for organ and harpsichord.
While the surname Rabus is relatively uncommon, it has a long history and has been associated with several notable individuals in fields such as academia, literature, and music throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabus
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rabus 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 Rabus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rabus
Rabus 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,099 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 Rabus 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 | #148,347 | #149,446 | -0.7% |
| Count | 111 | 110 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rabus bearers went from 111 to 110 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,099 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #149,446.
FAQ
Rabus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rabus?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Rabus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Rabus?
Rabus ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Rabus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Rabus.
Has Rabus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rabus went from 111 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Rabus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rabus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Rabus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rabus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Rabus (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 Rabus mean?
A variant of the German surname Rabe, derived from the word for "raven." 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 Rabus (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 Rabus?
You can see how many people have the surname Rabus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.