2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Raiten
A surname of German origin denoting someone from a place called Reiten.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Raiten. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raiten 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Raiten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raiten, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raiten
The surname RAITEN originates from Germany and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "reiten," which means "to ride" or "to travel." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who were travelers, messengers, or perhaps even knights.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RAITEN can be found in the Dorfbuch, a registry of village names and residents from the region of Saxony, dated around 1580. In this document, a man named Hans Raiten was listed as a resident of the village of Reitzenhain.
Another historical reference to the name comes from the town of Raitenbuch, located in Bavaria, Germany. Records from the 17th century show that a family with the surname RAITEN lived in this area and played a significant role in the local community.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Johann Raiten (1745-1822) was a prominent merchant and trader in the city of Hamburg. His successful business ventures contributed to the spread and recognition of the RAITEN name across northern Germany.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Raiten (1801-1879), a German philosopher and writer who authored several influential works on ethics and morality during the Romantic era. His writings were widely read and discussed among intellectual circles in Europe at the time.
During the 19th century, the RAITEN surname gained further recognition with the accomplishments of Gertrud Raiten (1856-1932), a pioneering German educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools and educational institutions in Berlin, paving the way for greater opportunities for women in education.
Other notable individuals with the surname RAITEN include Karl Raiten (1879-1956), a renowned German architect who designed several iconic buildings in Berlin and Munich, and Heinz Raiten (1910-1988), a celebrated German painter and sculptor whose works were exhibited in galleries across Europe.
While the RAITEN surname may have originated from a specific region in Germany, its legacy has spread far and wide, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raiten
Among Census respondents with the surname Raiten, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Raiten 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 Raiten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raiten
Raiten 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,119 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,119 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 3,972 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 Raiten 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 | #154,907 | #150,935 | 2.6% |
| Count | 105 | 108 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raiten bearers went from 105 to 108 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 3,972 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,935.
FAQ
Raiten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raiten?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Raiten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Raiten?
Raiten ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Raiten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Raiten.
Has Raiten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raiten went from 105 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Raiten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raiten, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Raiten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raiten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Raiten (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 Raiten mean?
A surname of German origin denoting someone from a place called Reiten. 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 Raiten (0.04 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 Raiten?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Raiten at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.