2000
#13,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Rainbolt
An occupational surname for someone who crafts or fastens bolts, or a skilled archer who could "rain" bolts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,073 Americans carry the last name Rainbolt. That puts it at #15,568 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rainbolt 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
2.1K
1 in 165,342
Census rank
#15,568
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,808 bearers of the surname Rainbolt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15568th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainbolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rainbolt
The surname Rainbolt has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle English words "rein" and "bolt," which together meant a bolt or an arrow with a long shaft. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone skilled in archery or the making of arrows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a person named William Raynbold is mentioned. The spelling variation "Raynbold" was common during this period, reflecting the way the name was pronounced.
In the 14th century, the Rainbolt name appeared in various records across the English counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. This suggests that the name was concentrated in the West Midlands region during this time.
The Rainbolt surname has also been linked to the village of Rainbolt in Gloucestershire, which may have been the place of origin for some families bearing this name. However, the exact connection between the place name and the surname remains unclear.
Notable individuals with the Rainbolt surname throughout history include John Rainbolt (1550-1620), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Worcestershire. Another was Thomas Rainbolt (1625-1698), a farmer and militia captain who served during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the Rainbolt family had established themselves in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, with Samuel Rainbolt (1712-1782) being a respected local businessperson and landowner. His son, William Rainbolt (1745-1821), was a prominent figure in the community, serving as a magistrate and a church warden.
The 19th century saw the Rainbolt name spread further across England, with notable individuals such as Charles Rainbolt (1820-1892), a successful industrialist and entrepreneur from Manchester, and Mary Rainbolt (1855-1937), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights.
Throughout its history, the Rainbolt surname has maintained a strong presence in England, particularly in the West Midlands region, where it originated. While the name may have evolved from its original meaning related to archery, it continues to carry a rich heritage and legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rainbolt
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainbolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rainbolt 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 Rainbolt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 1,494
- Two or more races7.0% · 127
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.7% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 66
- Black or African American1.3% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rainbolt
Rainbolt 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
#14,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,972
-90 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,473 places
2020
#15,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,808
-164 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,513 | 2,062 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,986 | 1,972 | 0.67 | -90 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 1,473 places |
| 2020 | #15,568 | 1,808 | 0.60 | -164 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 582 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 Rainbolt 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 | #14,986 | #15,568 | -3.9% |
| Count | 1,972 | 1,808 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.60 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rainbolt bearers went from 1,972 to 1,808 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 582 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,986 to #15,568.
FAQ
Rainbolt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rainbolt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,073 living Americans carry the surname Rainbolt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,342 residents.
How common is Rainbolt?
Rainbolt ranks #15,568 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,808 people with the surname Rainbolt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Rainbolt.
Has Rainbolt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rainbolt went from 1,972 recorded bearers to 1,808. That is a decrease of 164 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,986 to #15,568.
What does the Census say about the background of Rainbolt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainbolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rainbolt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (1,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rainbolt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Two or More Races (7.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%). 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 Rainbolt (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 Rainbolt mean?
An occupational surname for someone who crafts or fastens bolts, or a skilled archer who could "rain" bolts. 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 Rainbolt (0.60 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 are called Rainbolt?
If you just want to know how common the surname Rainbolt is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.