Find out how popular the last name Rae is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rae.

Rae, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rae surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rae in America

Rae is the 6646th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rae surname appeared 5,094 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Rae.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rae to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rae

The surname Rae is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "ra", meaning a boundary or corner where land meets the sea. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near such a location.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Walter de Ra, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The surname was also found in various other medieval records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1366, where a John Rae was listed.

The name Rae can be traced back to the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the counties of Berwickshire and Roxburghshire. It is also closely associated with the town of Dunbar, where the Rae family held lands and played a significant role in local affairs.

In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Rae family was John Rae (c. 1510-1590), a Scottish Protestant reformer and minister who served as the Superintendent of Dunbar. Another notable figure was Sir David Rae (1594-1677), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland.

During the 17th century, the Rae family produced several distinguished individuals, including Sir Harry Rae (1624-1704), a Scottish landowner and Member of Parliament, and Sir William Rae (1636-1719), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland.

In more recent times, one of the most famous bearers of the surname was John Rae (1813-1893), a Scottish explorer and surveyor who made significant contributions to the exploration of the Arctic regions. He was the first European to discover the final link in the Northwest Passage and was recognized for his achievements with numerous honors and awards.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rae include John Rae (1845-1915), a Scottish-American architect and designer who contributed to the development of the Arts and Crafts movement, and Iain Rae (1935-2021), a Scottish actor and writer known for his work in television and theater.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rae

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rae.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rae was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rae has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rae was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rae, please contact us.

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