2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rafie
An Arabic surname denoting a person who was refined or cultured.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 247 Americans carry the last name Rafie. That puts it at #91,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,387,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rafie 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
247
1 in 1,387,669
Census rank
#91,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
215
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 215 bearers of the surname Rafie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%) and Two or More Races (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rafie
The surname RAFIE has its origins in the Middle East, particularly in the regions of modern-day Iran and Iraq. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Rafi," which means "companion" or "friend." It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the medieval Islamic period, around the 10th to 12th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RAFIE can be found in Persian manuscripts from the 13th century, where it is mentioned in connection with prominent scholars and poets of that era. The name was particularly prevalent in the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz, which were centers of learning and culture during that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Rafie al-Din Shirazi was a renowned Persian philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and optics. He was born in Shiraz in 1307 and passed away in 1383.
During the 15th century, the RAFIE surname appeared in Ottoman Empire records, indicating that individuals with this name had migrated to various regions under Ottoman rule. One such person was Rafie Bey, a Turkish military commander who served in the Ottoman army during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the RAFIE surname gained prominence in the region of Mesopotamia, which included parts of modern-day Iraq and Iran. A notable figure from this period was Rafie al-Baghdadi, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who was born in Baghdad in 1520 and died in 1598.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the RAFIE surname continued to be found in various parts of the Middle East, with bearers of the name holding positions of importance in religious, academic, and administrative circles. One such individual was Rafie Efendi, an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1683 to 1685.
As time progressed, the RAFIE surname spread to other regions through migration and trade, and it can now be found in various parts of the world, particularly among individuals with Middle Eastern ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rafie
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%) and Two or More Races (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rafie 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 Rafie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.7% · 23
- Two or more races10.2% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rafie
Rafie 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
#106,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
+55 bearers (+48.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 30,687 places
2020
#91,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 215
+47 bearers (+28.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 14,212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106,096 | 168 | 0.06 | +55 bearers (+48.7%) | Up 30,687 places |
| 2020 | #91,884 | 215 | 0.07 | +47 bearers (+28.0%) | Up 14,212 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 Rafie 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 | #106,096 | #91,884 | 13.4% |
| Count | 168 | 215 | 28.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 19.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rafie bearers went from 168 to 215 (+28.0% change). The surname moved up 14,212 positions in the national ranking, going from #106,096 to #91,884.
FAQ
Rafie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rafie?
Name Census estimates that about 247 living Americans carry the surname Rafie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,387,669 residents.
How common is Rafie?
Rafie ranks #91,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 215 people with the surname Rafie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Rafie.
Has Rafie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rafie went from 168 recorded bearers to 215. That is an increase of 47 (+28.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #106,096 to #91,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Rafie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%) and Two or More Races (10.2%). 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 Rafie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rafie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%), Two or More Races (10.2%). 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 Rafie (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 Rafie mean?
An Arabic surname denoting a person who was refined or cultured. 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 Rafie (0.07 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 common is the surname Rafie?
Want to know how many people have the last name Rafie? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.