2000
#12,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Ragin
Derived from the Middle English word "ragin," meaning wild, fierce, or impetuous, likely referring to a person's temperament.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,556 Americans carry the last name Ragin. That puts it at #13,149 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ragin 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
2.6K
1 in 134,098
Census rank
#13,149
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,229 bearers of the surname Ragin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13149th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ragin
The surname Ragin is of Scottish origin, with roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "rag," meaning "a stiff, bristly mane or tuft of hair." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with unkempt or unruly hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This document mentions a John Ragin from Lanarkshire, indicating the name's presence in Scotland during that time period.
In the 17th century, the Ragin surname appeared in various parish records across Scotland, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. These records often included variations in spelling, such as Ragyn, Raggyn, and Raigin, reflecting the fluidity of name spellings in those times.
Notable individuals with the Ragin surname include William Ragin (1656-1723), a Scottish merchant and banker who established a successful trading company in Glasgow. Another prominent figure was Robert Ragin (1720-1798), a renowned scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the Scottish Enlightenment.
In the 19th century, the Ragin name gained further recognition with the birth of Margaret Ragin (1845-1912), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Scotland. She founded several schools and played a crucial role in promoting equal educational opportunities for girls.
Other notable bearers of the Ragin surname include James Ragin (1870-1945), a Scottish-born explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions, and William Ragin (1892-1963), a celebrated painter renowned for his landscapes depicting the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
While the Ragin surname originated in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. However, its roots can be traced back to the Scottish Gaelic language and the descriptive nature of surnames in that era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ragin
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ragin 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 Ragin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American82.1% · 1,829
- White8.7% · 195
- Two or more races5.7% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ragin
Ragin 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
#12,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,551
+281 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 312 places
2020
#13,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,229
-322 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,520 | 2,270 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,208 | 2,551 | 0.86 | +281 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 312 places |
| 2020 | #13,149 | 2,229 | 0.75 | -322 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 941 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 Ragin 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 | #12,208 | #13,149 | -7.7% |
| Count | 2,551 | 2,229 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.75 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ragin bearers went from 2,551 to 2,229 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 941 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,208 to #13,149.
FAQ
Ragin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ragin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,556 living Americans carry the surname Ragin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,098 residents.
How common is Ragin?
Ragin ranks #13,149 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,229 people with the surname Ragin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ragin.
Has Ragin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ragin went from 2,551 recorded bearers to 2,229. That is a decrease of 322 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,208 to #13,149.
What does the Census say about the background of Ragin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ragin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (1,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ragin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (82.1%), White (8.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Ragin (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 Ragin mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "ragin," meaning wild, fierce, or impetuous, likely referring to a person's temperament. 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 Ragin (0.75 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 Ragin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ragin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.