2000
#14,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Raine
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary or demarcation line.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,296 Americans carry the last name Raine. That puts it at #14,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,283 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raine 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Raine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,283
Census rank
#14,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,002 bearers of the surname Raine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raine, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raine
The surname Raine has its origins in northern England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Durham. It is derived from the Old English word "regn," meaning "rain" or "rainy," and was likely initially used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who lived in a particularly wet or rainy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Reine." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Rayne, Reyne, and Rene. These variations reflect regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
The Raine surname has a long history in the north of England, with several notable individuals bearing the name throughout the centuries. One example is Sir Thomas Raine (c. 1508-1570), a prominent English lawyer and member of the Court of King's Bench during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure was John Raine (1790-1858), an English clergyman and antiquary who published several works on the history and antiquities of Durham and the surrounding areas. His major work, "The History and Antiquities of North Durham," published in 1835, is considered a valuable resource for understanding the region's past.
In the field of literature, James Raine (1830-1896) was a British author and editor who published works on English history and literature. He is best known for his edition of the "Priory of Hexham," a chronicle of the Augustinian priory in Northumberland.
Moving forward in time, Sir Walter Raine (1856-1944) was a British civil servant and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Burma from 1909 to 1910.
Another notable figure with the Raine surname was Kathleen Raine (1908-2003), an English poet, critic, and scholar who played a significant role in the revival of interest in the Romantic tradition and the study of Blake, Yeats, and other mystical poets.
These examples illustrate the long and diverse history of the Raine surname, which has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including lawyers, clergymen, authors, administrators, and poets.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raine
Among Census respondents with the surname Raine, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Raine 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 Raine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 1,426
- Black or African American18.2% · 364
- Two or more races5.5% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raine
Raine 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
#14,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,109
+236 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 351 places
2020
#14,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,002
-107 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,574 | 1,873 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,223 | 2,109 | 0.71 | +236 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 351 places |
| 2020 | #14,377 | 2,002 | 0.67 | -107 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 154 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 Raine 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 | #14,223 | #14,377 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,109 | 2,002 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.67 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raine bearers went from 2,109 to 2,002 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 154 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,223 to #14,377.
FAQ
Raine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raine?
Name Census estimates that about 2,296 living Americans carry the surname Raine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,283 residents.
How common is Raine?
Raine ranks #14,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,002 people with the surname Raine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Raine.
Has Raine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raine went from 2,109 recorded bearers to 2,002. That is a decrease of 107 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,223 to #14,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Raine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raine, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Raine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (1,426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.2%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Raine (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 Raine mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary or demarcation line. 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 Raine (0.67 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 Raine?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Raine on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.