2000
#5,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Rare Last name
Rahn
A German occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked at a walled enclosure or border.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,161 Americans carry the last name Rahn. That puts it at #6,113 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rahn 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
6.2K
1 in 55,633
Census rank
#6,113
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,373 bearers of the surname Rahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6113th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rahn
The surname Rahn originates from Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Rahn", which means "boundary" or "border". This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near a border or territorial boundary.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Rahn surname can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus" (Diplomatic Code of Anhalt), a collection of historical documents from the medieval German state of Anhalt, dated around 1275. This document references a person named "Conradus de Rahn", suggesting the name's presence in the region during that time.
During the Middle Ages, the Rahn surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia in northwestern Germany. Several notable individuals bore this surname, including Hermann Rahn (1490-1551), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 16th century, the Rahn surname also appeared in various records from the German city of Nuremberg. One prominent figure from this era was Georg Rahn (1520-1586), a renowned German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of logarithms.
As the name spread across Germany, it also took on various spellings and regional variations, such as Rhan, Rahne, and Rahnen. In the 18th century, Johann Rahn (1715-1776), a German composer and organist, gained recognition for his contributions to sacred music.
Another notable individual with the Rahn surname was Otto Rahn (1904-1939), a German writer, and medievalist who gained fame for his controversial theories about the origins of the Holy Grail and the Cathars. His work, "Crusade Against the Grail" (Kreuzzug gegen den Gral), published in 1933, sparked significant debate and speculation regarding the historical mysteries surrounding the Grail legend.
Throughout its history, the Rahn surname has been associated with various professions, including scholars, artisans, and landowners. While its precise origins remain somewhat uncertain, the name's connection to boundaries and borders has persisted, reflecting the diverse and rich tapestry of German history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rahn 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 Rahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 4,985
- Two or more races2.8% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 148
- Black or African American0.9% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rahn
Rahn 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
#6,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,668
-284 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 668 places
2020
#6,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,373
-295 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,386 | 5,952 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,054 | 5,668 | 1.92 | -284 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 668 places |
| 2020 | #6,113 | 5,373 | 1.80 | -295 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 59 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 Rahn 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 | #6,054 | #6,113 | -1.0% |
| Count | 5,668 | 5,373 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.80 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rahn bearers went from 5,668 to 5,373 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,054 to #6,113.
FAQ
Rahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rahn?
Name Census estimates that about 6,161 living Americans carry the surname Rahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,633 residents.
How common is Rahn?
Rahn ranks #6,113 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,373 people with the surname Rahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,161), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rahn.
Has Rahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rahn went from 5,668 recorded bearers to 5,373. That is a decrease of 295 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,054 to #6,113.
What does the Census say about the background of Rahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Rahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (4,985 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Rahn (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 Rahn mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked at a walled enclosure or border. 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 Rahn (1.80 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 Rahn?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Rahn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.