2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Raftopoulos
A Greek surname referring to someone who makes or repairs clocks or watches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Raftopoulos. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raftopoulos 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Raftopoulos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raftopoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raftopoulos
The surname Raftopoulos is of Greek origin, tracing its roots back to the Byzantine era in the regions of modern-day Greece and Asia Minor. It is derived from the Greek words "raftos" meaning "tailor" and "poulos" denoting "son of," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely descendants of a skilled tailor or seamster.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Raftopoulos name can be found in the archives of the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, dating back to the 14th century. This monastic community, established in the 10th century, was a center of culture and learning, and its records shed light on the existence of families bearing the Raftopoulos surname in the region during that period.
As the Byzantine Empire waned and the Ottoman Turks gained control over parts of Greece, some Raftopoulos families sought refuge in other parts of Europe, including Italy and Russia. Records from the 16th and 17th centuries indicate the presence of individuals with this surname in cities like Venice and Moscow, where they likely pursued various trades and professions.
During the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century, several notable figures bearing the Raftopoulos name emerged as leaders and intellectuals. One such figure was Georgios Raftopoulos (1788-1864), a Greek scholar and patriot who played a crucial role in the establishment of educational institutions in the newly independent Greek state.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Konstantinos Raftopoulos (1865-1942), a renowned Greek lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1924 to 1925. His contributions to the country's legal and political landscape were significant, and he is remembered as a staunch advocate for democracy and civil liberties.
In the realm of literature, the name Raftopoulos is associated with Dimitrios Raftopoulos (1895-1968), a celebrated Greek poet and writer who was a prominent figure in the Demotic Movement, which aimed to establish the vernacular Greek language as the official literary language of Greece.
Over the centuries, the Raftopoulos surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of Greece and the diaspora communities that have spread across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raftopoulos
Among Census respondents with the surname Raftopoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Raftopoulos 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 Raftopoulos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raftopoulos
Raftopoulos 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
-3 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,347 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-23 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 9,347 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 21,197 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 Raftopoulos 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 | #122,314 | #143,511 | -17.3% |
| Count | 141 | 118 | -16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raftopoulos bearers went from 141 to 118 (-16.3% change). The surname moved down 21,197 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #143,511.
FAQ
Raftopoulos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raftopoulos?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Raftopoulos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Raftopoulos?
Raftopoulos ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Raftopoulos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Raftopoulos.
Has Raftopoulos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raftopoulos went from 141 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 23 (-16.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Raftopoulos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raftopoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Raftopoulos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raftopoulos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (7.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Raftopoulos (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 Raftopoulos mean?
A Greek surname referring to someone who makes or repairs clocks or watches. 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 Raftopoulos (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 Raftopoulos?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.