2000
#7,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Rademacher
An occupational surname referring to a wheelwright or maker of wheels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,554 Americans carry the last name Rademacher. That puts it at #8,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,264 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rademacher 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
4.6K
1 in 75,264
Census rank
#8,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,971 bearers of the surname Rademacher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rademacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rademacher
The surname Rademacher has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "radmacher," which means "wheelwright" or "cartwright." This occupational surname was given to those who crafted wheels for carts, carriages, and wagons.
The name Rademacher can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing individuals bearing this surname in various regions of Germany, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in a document from the city of Lübeck, dated 1287, which mentions a "Johannes Rademacher."
In the 14th century, the name Rademacher appeared in other historical records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of documents related to the history of Saxony. This suggests that the name was well-established and widespread throughout various parts of Germany during this time.
The earliest recorded individual with the surname Rademacher was Henricus Rademacher, who was born around 1370 in the town of Braunschweig (Brunswick) in Lower Saxony. Another notable figure was Hans Rademacher, a prominent merchant and guild member who lived in Lübeck during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Rademacher gained further recognition with the birth of Christoph Rademacher (1537-1600), a German theologian and author from Westphalia. He wrote several works on Lutheran theology and served as a pastor in various parishes.
During the 17th century, the Rademacher surname was found in various regions of Germany, including Silesia, where Johann Rademacher (1625-1697) was a prominent Lutheran clergyman and author. He served as a pastor in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and wrote several religious works.
Another notable figure from this period was Georg Rademacher (1633-1711), a German mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and published works on celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
As the centuries passed, the Rademacher surname continued to spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including academia, arts, and sciences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rademacher
Among Census respondents with the surname Rademacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rademacher 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 Rademacher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 3,712
- Two or more races2.9% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 42
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rademacher
Rademacher 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
#8,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,011
+87 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 446 places
2020
#8,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,971
-40 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,817 | 3,924 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,263 | 4,011 | 1.36 | +87 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 446 places |
| 2020 | #8,002 | 3,971 | 1.33 | -40 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 261 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 Rademacher 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 | #8,263 | #8,002 | 3.2% |
| Count | 4,011 | 3,971 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.33 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rademacher bearers went from 4,011 to 3,971 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 261 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,263 to #8,002.
FAQ
Rademacher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rademacher?
Name Census estimates that about 4,554 living Americans carry the surname Rademacher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,264 residents.
How common is Rademacher?
Rademacher ranks #8,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,971 people with the surname Rademacher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Rademacher.
Has Rademacher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rademacher went from 4,011 recorded bearers to 3,971. That is a decrease of 40 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,263 to #8,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Rademacher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rademacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Rademacher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (3,712 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rademacher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Rademacher (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 Rademacher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a wheelwright or maker of wheels. 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 Rademacher (1.33 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 share the surname Rademacher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.