2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rafn
A Scandinavian surname derived from the Old Norse word "rafn" meaning "raven".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Rafn. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rafn 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Rafn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rafn
The surname RAFN has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Iceland and Denmark. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "rafn," which means "raven" or "crow." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or a reference to a person's physical appearance or characteristics associated with these birds.
In Iceland, the surname RAFN can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appeared in the Icelandic sagas and other historical records. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Hallr Rafn, a chieftain and lawspeaker who lived in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Sighvatur Rafn, a 13th-century Icelandic poet and skald.
The name RAFN is also found in Danish records from the 13th century onwards. In Denmark, it is believed to have originated as a personal name or byname before becoming a hereditary surname. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Niels Rafn, a Danish nobleman who lived in the late 13th century.
Throughout history, the surname RAFN has been associated with various place names and localities in Scandinavia. For instance, there is a village called Rafn in Sweden, and several farms and estates in Iceland and Denmark have included the name Rafn in their titles.
Notable individuals with the surname RAFN include:
1. Carl Christian Rafn (1795-1864), a Danish historian and antiquarian who made significant contributions to the study of Old Norse literature and culture.
2. Sveinn Rafn (1309-1361), an Icelandic lawspeaker and chieftain who played a crucial role in the country's political and legal affairs during the 14th century.
3. Birgir Rafn (1475-1541), an Icelandic clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Hólar and is credited with preserving many Icelandic manuscripts.
4. Jón Rafn (1572-1640), an Icelandic poet and clergyman known for his religious works and contributions to Icelandic literature.
5. Guðmundur Rafn (1677-1735), an Icelandic mathematician and astronomer who made significant advancements in the study of celestial mechanics and planetary motion.
The surname RAFN has a rich history and deep roots in Scandinavian culture, with its origins dating back to the Viking Age and the early Middle Ages. While its meaning is closely tied to the iconic raven or crow, the name has been carried by numerous individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from literature and scholarship to politics and law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rafn
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rafn 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 Rafn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 8
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rafn
Rafn appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,453 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 Rafn 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 | #138,304 | #145,757 | -5.4% |
| Count | 121 | 115 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rafn bearers went from 121 to 115 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,757.
FAQ
Rafn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rafn?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Rafn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Rafn?
Rafn ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Rafn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Rafn.
Has Rafn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rafn went from 121 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Rafn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Rafn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rafn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Rafn (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 Rafn mean?
A Scandinavian surname derived from the Old Norse word "rafn" meaning "raven". 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 Rafn (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 last name Rafn?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Rafn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.