2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rafert
A surname of German origin, derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Rafert. 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 Rafert 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 Rafert 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 Rafert, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rafert
The surname RAFERT is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the late medieval period or early modern era. It is thought to be derived from the German word "raf," which means "raven," and the suffix "-ert," indicating a place of origin or occupation. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a place associated with ravens or whose occupation involved working with these birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RAFERT can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg in the 16th century, where a certain Hans RAFERT is mentioned as a resident in 1547. Another early reference is from the town of Kirchheim unter Teck, where a Johann RAFERT is listed in the parish records in 1602.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parts of southern Germany, including the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. For example, a Michael RAFERT was born in Ulm in 1634, and a family by the name of RAFERT is documented in the town of Memmingen in the late 1600s.
One notable figure bearing the name RAFERT was Johann Christoph RAFERT (1683-1756), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. He was known for his work on natural philosophy and his contributions to the field of Protestant theology.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl Friedrich RAFERT (1788-1854), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the Revolutions of 1848-1849. He was a proponent of liberal reforms and played a role in shaping the early constitutional developments in Germany.
In the 19th century, the RAFERT name can be found in various German-speaking regions, including parts of Austria and Switzerland. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Johann Georg RAFERT (1812-1888), a German-born artist and painter who settled in Vienna and became known for his landscapes and city scenes.
While the RAFERT surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of central Europe, where it likely emerged as a descriptive or occupational surname related to ravens or raven-associated places.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rafert
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafert, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rafert 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 Rafert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 12
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rafert
Rafert 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+14 bearers (+12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,550 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.2%) | Up 3,550 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,670 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 Rafert 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 | #131,379 | #142,049 | -8.1% |
| Count | 129 | 120 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rafert bearers went from 129 to 120 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #142,049.
FAQ
Rafert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rafert?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Rafert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Rafert?
Rafert 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 Rafert. 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 Rafert.
Has Rafert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rafert went from 129 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Rafert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafert, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Rafert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rafert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Hispanic (10.0%), Two or More Races (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 Rafert (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 Rafert mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from a place name. 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 Rafert (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 share the surname Rafert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.