2000
#4,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Rainwater
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a stream or pond that swelled during rainfall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,838 Americans carry the last name Rainwater. That puts it at #4,978 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,730 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rainwater 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
7.8K
1 in 43,730
Census rank
#4,978
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,835 bearers of the surname Rainwater in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4978th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.0%) and Black (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rainwater
The surname Rainwater has its roots in England, originating in the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ren" meaning rain and "wæter" meaning water, likely referring to someone who lived near a body of water that was fed by rainfall or runoff. The name was initially spelled as "Reynwater" or "Raynwater."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a John de Raynwater in Yorkshire. The Rainwater surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, indicating its presence in different regions of England during that era.
In the 14th century, the name was occasionally rendered as "Raynewatere" or "Raynewatyr," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Rainwater, a knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the mid-1300s.
The Rainwater surname is associated with several place names in England, such as Rainwater Fields in Lincolnshire and Rainwater Lane in Yorkshire. These locations may have derived their names from the presence of Rainwater families in those areas or from the physical features of the land itself.
During the 16th century, the surname experienced a shift in spelling, becoming more commonly known as "Rainwater." One prominent individual with this name was William Rainwater (1510-1592), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire.
Other notable bearers of the Rainwater surname include:
1. Robert Rainwater (1602-1678), a Puritan minister and author from Suffolk.
2. Elizabeth Rainwater (1670-1738), a pioneering educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in London.
3. Sir Thomas Rainwater (1720-1799), a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.
4. John Rainwater (1779-1857), a British explorer and naturalist who documented flora and fauna in the Pacific Northwest.
5. Mary Rainwater (1828-1912), a prolific writer and advocate for women's rights in the Victorian era.
Throughout its history, the Rainwater surname has maintained a strong presence in England, with various branches spreading to other parts of the United Kingdom and eventually to other English-speaking countries through immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rainwater
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.0%) and Black (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rainwater 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 Rainwater surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 5,377
- Two or more races9.0% · 616
- Black or African American5.2% · 357
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 251
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rainwater
Rainwater 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
#4,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,111
+231 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#4,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,835
-276 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,710 | 6,880 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,949 | 7,111 | 2.41 | +231 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #4,978 | 6,835 | 2.29 | -276 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 29 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 Rainwater 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 | #4,949 | #4,978 | -0.6% |
| Count | 7,111 | 6,835 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.41 | 2.29 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rainwater bearers went from 7,111 to 6,835 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,949 to #4,978.
FAQ
Rainwater surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rainwater?
Name Census estimates that about 7,838 living Americans carry the surname Rainwater. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,730 residents.
How common is Rainwater?
Rainwater ranks #4,978 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.29 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 6,835 people with the surname Rainwater. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,838), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.29 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 Rainwater.
Has Rainwater become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rainwater went from 7,111 recorded bearers to 6,835. That is a decrease of 276 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,949 to #4,978.
What does the Census say about the background of Rainwater?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rainwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.0%) and Black (5.2%). 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 Rainwater in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (5,377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rainwater appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Two or More Races (9.0%), Black (5.2%). 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 Rainwater (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 Rainwater mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a stream or pond that swelled during rainfall. 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 Rainwater (2.29 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 Rainwater?
Find out how many people have the surname Rainwater on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.