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

Raff, 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 Raff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Raff in America

Raff is the 18106th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Raff surname appeared 1,538 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Raff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Raff 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 Raff

The surname RAFF is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "raffe," meaning "quick" or "swift." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was particularly agile or swift in their movements.

The earliest known records of the RAFF surname can be found in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in the town records of Nuremberg, dated 1378, where a certain Hans Raff is mentioned as a resident.

During the medieval period, the RAFF name also appeared in various ecclesiastical records and chronicles. For example, in the 15th century, a monk named Johannes Raff was recorded as a scribe at the Benedictine monastery in Tegernsee, Bavaria.

As the surname spread across different regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, including Raffe, Rafe, and Raf. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences.

Notable individuals bearing the RAFF surname throughout history include:

1. Joachim Raff (1822-1882), a German-Swiss composer and pedagogue, best known for his symphonic works.
2. Christian Daniel Raff (1776-1838), a German painter and engraver, known for his landscapes and portraits.
3. Georg Wolfgang Raff (1640-1694), a German theologian and author, who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
4. Johann Raff (1716-1794), a German architect and builder, known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Würzburg.
5. Anna Raff (1572-1629), a German midwife and herbalist, who was persecuted for her alleged involvement in witchcraft during the Bamberg witch trials.

It is worth noting that some variations of the RAFF surname, such as Rafe or Raf, may also have connections to other linguistic roots, including the Old Norse word "ráfr," meaning "wise" or "shrewd." However, the German origins of the name remain the most widely accepted.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Raff

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

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 Raff 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 Raff 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 Raff was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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