Find out how popular the last name Rais is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rais.

Rais, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rais surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rais in America

Rais is the 45412th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rais surname appeared 471 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rais.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rais to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rais

The surname Rais has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old French word "rais," which means "branch" or "ray." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a prominent tree or who worked as a woodcutter.

One of the earliest known references to the name Rais can be found in the "Livre des Métiers" (Book of Trades), a 13th-century Parisian document that listed various professions and their regulations. This document mentions a family of woodworkers with the surname Rais, suggesting that the name was already well-established by that time.

The name Rais is also mentioned in several historical records from the Middle Ages, including the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille" (Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille), which dates back to the 11th century.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Rais was Gilles de Rais (1404-1440), a French nobleman and military leader who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years' War. However, he later gained notoriety as a serial killer and was executed for his crimes.

Another famous bearer of the name was Jean-Baptiste Rais (1633-1707), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of St-Roch and the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall).

In the 19th century, the name Rais gained prominence through the work of Félicien Rais (1833-1891), a French philosopher and writer who was a prominent figure in the Naturalist movement.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rais include Jacques Rais (born 1959), a French actor and comedian, and Claude Rais (1813-1888), a French general who served in the Crimean War and the Franco-Prussian War.

While the surname Rais is most commonly associated with France, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, including Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy, where it may have been introduced through migration or cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rais

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rais.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rais was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rais has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rais was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rais, please contact us.

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