2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Raese
A surname of German origin meaning "to clear land, graze cattle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Raese. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raese 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Raese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raese, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raese
The surname RAESE has its origins in Germany and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "rasen," which means "turf" or "sod." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with turf or sod.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RAESE surname can be found in historical records from the town of Zweibrücken, located in the present-day state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. In these records, the name appears as "Raeser" in the late 1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the RAESE surname began to spread across various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. Variations in the spelling, such as "Räse," "Räser," and "Raese," can be found in various historical documents from this period.
Historically, the RAESE name has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Johann Raese, a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who lived from 1627 to 1692. Another noteworthy figure was Hans Raese, a German painter and engraver active in the 16th century.
In the 19th century, the RAESE surname began to appear in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and emigration. One example is Jakob Raese, a Swiss politician and lawyer who lived from 1826 to 1897.
As the 20th century approached, the RAESE name found its way to other parts of the world, including North America. One prominent individual bearing this surname was John Raese, an American businessman and politician who was born in 1950 and ran for various political offices in West Virginia.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Raese, a German-American architect and designer who was born in 1879 and is known for his work on several buildings in the Chicago area, including the Blackstone Hotel.
While the RAESE surname may not be as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the turf or sod-related occupations of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raese
Among Census respondents with the surname Raese, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Raese 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 Raese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 104
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raese
Raese 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
-15 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,050 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 21,050 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 59 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 Raese 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 | #142,049 | 0.0% |
| Count | 117 | 120 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raese bearers went from 117 to 120 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,049.
FAQ
Raese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raese?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Raese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Raese?
Raese ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Raese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Raese.
Has Raese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raese went from 117 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Raese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raese, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%). 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 Raese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (5.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%). 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 Raese (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 Raese mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "to clear land, graze cattle." 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 Raese (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 have the surname Raese?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.