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

Rafuse, 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 Rafuse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rafuse in America

Rafuse is the 50106th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rafuse surname appeared 418 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rafuse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rafuse 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 Rafuse

The surname RAFUSE is believed to have originated in France, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variation of the French surname "Raffoux," which itself is derived from the Old French word "rafe," meaning "horseradish."

The earliest recorded instances of the RAFUSE surname can be traced back to the 16th century in the historical records of Normandy, France. One of the earliest documented individuals with this name was Jean Rafuse, a farmer who lived in the village of Rouville in the mid-1500s.

In the 17th century, several members of the RAFUSE family emigrated from France to the Canadian province of Acadia, which was then a French colony. The name can be found in the census records and land grant documents of the region, with variations in spelling such as "Raffoux," "Raffouse," and "Raffus."

One notable individual with the RAFUSE surname was Pierre Rafuse, born in 1672 in Port Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia). He was a prominent farmer and landowner in the area and played a role in the French and British conflicts over Acadia in the early 18th century.

During the Acadian Expulsion of 1755, many RAFUSE families were forcibly removed from their homes and dispersed throughout the British colonies in North America. Some eventually resettled in Louisiana, where their descendants can still be found today.

Another significant figure in the history of the RAFUSE name was Joseph Rafuse, born in 1802 in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. He was a successful shipbuilder and merchant, and his family played an influential role in the economic and political affairs of the region in the 19th century.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the RAFUSE surname made notable contributions in various fields. For example, Charles W. Rafuse (1853-1925) was a respected lawyer and politician in Nova Scotia, while Rev. Harry Rafuse (1893-1967) was a prominent Methodist minister and author.

While the RAFUSE surname is most commonly associated with families of Acadian descent in Canada and the United States, it can also be found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rafuse

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

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

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

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