2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Raedeke
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to a reedy area or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Raedeke. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raedeke 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Raedeke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raedeke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raedeke
The surname Raedeke has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "raed," meaning "advice" or "counsel." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone known for their wisdom or guidance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Raedeke can be found in the town records of Lübeck, a major trading center in northern Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is likely that the name originated in this region and later spread to other parts of the country.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans Raedeke was mentioned in the municipal records of Hannover, a city in Lower Saxony. He was a prominent merchant and guild member who played a role in the city's affairs during that time.
The Raedeke name also appears in the historical chronicles of the city of Bremen, where a family bearing this surname was known for their involvement in the local government and trade guilds in the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Raedeke name was Johann Raedeke, a scholar and theologian born in 1537 in the town of Uelzen, Lower Saxony. He studied at the University of Wittenberg and later became a Protestant minister, contributing to the spread of Reformation ideals in northern Germany.
Another notable individual with this surname was Friedrich Raedeke, a German painter and engraver born in 1766 in Hamburg. He was known for his landscape paintings and etchings, and his works can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
During the 19th century, the Raedeke family continued to be prominent in various fields, with individuals such as Gustav Raedeke, a renowned botanist and explorer born in 1813 in Hanover, and Carl Raedeke, a celebrated architect born in 1828 in Berlin, who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in the city.
While the Raedeke surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its earliest origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the medieval and early modern periods of German history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raedeke
Among Census respondents with the surname Raedeke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Raedeke 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 Raedeke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 96
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raedeke
Raedeke 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,220 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-9 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,827 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 7,220 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 8,827 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 Raedeke 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 | #142,108 | #150,935 | -6.2% |
| Count | 117 | 108 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raedeke bearers went from 117 to 108 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 8,827 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,935.
FAQ
Raedeke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raedeke?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Raedeke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Raedeke?
Raedeke ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Raedeke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Raedeke.
Has Raedeke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raedeke went from 117 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Raedeke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raedeke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Raedeke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raedeke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (2.8%). 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 Raedeke (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 Raedeke mean?
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to a reedy area or marsh. 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 Raedeke (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 are called Raedeke?
Find out how many people have the last name Raedeke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.