2000
#7,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,352
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Raby
A locational surname derived from various places in northern England, likely referring to a boundary or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,067 Americans carry the last name Raby. That puts it at #7,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,644 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raby 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 Raby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,644
Census rank
#7,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,419 bearers of the surname Raby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raby, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raby
The surname Raby is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the village of Raby in County Durham, which was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Rabi".
The name Raby is thought to come from the Old Norse word "ra", meaning a roebuck or small deer, and the Old English word "by", meaning a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a settlement where deer were found or hunted.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Raby can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a landowner named Robert de Raby. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the 12th century.
The village of Raby was associated with the powerful Neville family, who held the manor of Raby from the 12th century onwards. The Nevilles built Raby Castle, which became one of their main residencies. This connection may have contributed to the spread and prominence of the Raby surname in the region.
In the 13th century, a knight named Sir Henry de Raby accompanied King Edward I on his campaigns in Scotland and was present at the Siege of Caerlaverock in 1300. He is mentioned in the contemporary poem "The Siege of Caerlaverock" for his bravery.
Another notable figure with the surname Raby was John Raby (c.1405-1475), who served as Bishop of Carlisle and was a diplomat for King Henry VI during the Wars of the Roses. He was involved in negotiations with Scotland and France during this turbulent period.
In the 16th century, a member of the Raby family named William Raby (c.1505-1578) served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. He was also a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.
The Raby surname has also been found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Durham, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk, suggesting that it spread beyond its original locational origins over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raby
Among Census respondents with the surname Raby, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Raby 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 Raby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 3,414
- Black or African American13.8% · 608
- Two or more races4.3% · 192
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raby
Raby 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
#7,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,559
+207 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 232 places
2020
#7,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,419
-140 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,087 | 4,352 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,319 | 4,559 | 1.55 | +207 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 232 places |
| 2020 | #7,268 | 4,419 | 1.48 | -140 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 51 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 Raby 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 | #7,319 | #7,268 | 0.7% |
| Count | 4,559 | 4,419 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.48 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raby bearers went from 4,559 to 4,419 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,319 to #7,268.
FAQ
Raby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raby?
Name Census estimates that about 5,067 living Americans carry the surname Raby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,644 residents.
How common is Raby?
Raby ranks #7,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,419 people with the surname Raby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Raby.
Has Raby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raby went from 4,559 recorded bearers to 4,419. That is a decrease of 140 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,319 to #7,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Raby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raby, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Raby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (3,414 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Raby (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 Raby mean?
A locational surname derived from various places in northern England, likely referring to a boundary or settlement. 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 Raby (1.48 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 Raby?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.