2000
#39,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Rachlin
An ornamental Yiddish surname derived from the Hebrew word for horse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 570 Americans carry the last name Rachlin. That puts it at #46,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 601,323 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rachlin 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
570
1 in 601,323
Census rank
#46,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
497
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 497 bearers of the surname Rachlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rachlin
The surname Rachlin is believed to have originated in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. The earliest records of this name can be traced back to the 16th century.
The name Rachlin is thought to be derived from the Slavic root word "rach," which means "crayfish" or "crawfish." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who caught or sold crayfish.
One of the earliest mentions of the Rachlin name can be found in the Metrica records of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which date back to the late 16th century. These records document various legal transactions and official documents.
In the 17th century, the Rachlin name appeared in various Polish and Ukrainian records, including parish registers and tax rolls. This indicates that the name had spread throughout the region and was well-established by that time.
One notable individual with the Rachlin surname was Yakov Rachlin (1823-1899), a Russian-Jewish rabbi and scholar who authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Abram Rachlin (1855-1920), a Jewish banker and philanthropist from Odessa, Ukraine, who was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and charitable organizations.
In the 19th century, the Rachlin name also appeared in the United States, as many Eastern European Jews immigrated to America. One such individual was Morris Rachlin (1866-1945), a Ukrainian-born American lawyer and author who wrote extensively on legal and political topics.
Sophia Rachlin (1878-1957), a Russian-born American educator and activist, was another notable figure. She was a pioneer in the field of adult education and founded several organizations dedicated to promoting literacy and education for immigrants.
Another individual worth mentioning is Itzik Rachlin (1888-1942), a Polish-born Jewish songwriter and performer who was renowned for his contributions to the Yiddish theater and music scene in Warsaw before perishing in the Holocaust.
While the Rachlin surname may not be among the most common in the world, it has a rich historical background and can be traced back to the Slavic-speaking regions of Central and Eastern Europe, where it likely originated as an occupational name related to the crayfish trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rachlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rachlin 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 Rachlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 449
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 25
- Two or more races2.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 9
- Black or African American0.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rachlin
Rachlin 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
#42,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 506
-19 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
2020
#46,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 497
-9 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,444 | 525 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,790 | 506 | 0.17 | -19 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,346 places |
| 2020 | #46,253 | 497 | 0.17 | -9 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 3,463 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 Rachlin 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 | #42,790 | #46,253 | -8.1% |
| Count | 506 | 497 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.17 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rachlin bearers went from 506 to 497 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 3,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,790 to #46,253.
FAQ
Rachlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rachlin?
Name Census estimates that about 570 living Americans carry the surname Rachlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 601,323 residents.
How common is Rachlin?
Rachlin ranks #46,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 497 people with the surname Rachlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (570), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Rachlin.
Has Rachlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rachlin went from 506 recorded bearers to 497. That is a decrease of 9 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #42,790 to #46,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Rachlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Rachlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rachlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Rachlin (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 Rachlin mean?
An ornamental Yiddish surname derived from the Hebrew word for horse. 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 Rachlin (0.17 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 are called Rachlin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Rachlin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.