2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rajo
A surname possibly derived from a place name meaning "bright" or "radiant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Rajo. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rajo 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Rajo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rajo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and White (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rajo
The surname RAJO has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northern regions of present-day India and Pakistan. The name is believed to have originated sometime in the 12th or 13th century CE, during the rule of the Delhi Sultanate.
RAJO is derived from the Sanskrit word "Raja," which means "king" or "ruler." It is likely that the surname was initially bestowed upon individuals who held positions of authority or were associated with royal lineages. The name's connection to royalty and nobility is a common thread throughout its history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RAJO can be found in ancient manuscripts and inscriptions from the medieval period. There are references to individuals bearing this surname in various court records and historical documents from the Delhi Sultanate era.
The earliest known bearer of the surname RAJO was Malik Rajo, a prominent military leader and courtier who served under the Delhi Sultan Balban in the 13th century. He played a significant role in several military campaigns and was highly regarded for his valor and strategic skills.
Another notable figure was Rani Rajo Devi, a 16th-century queen consort of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar. She was known for her courage and determination during the siege of Chittorgarh Fort, where she chose to sacrifice her life rather than surrender to the Mughal forces.
In the 18th century, Raja Ram Rajo was a distinguished poet and scholar from Rajasthan. His literary works, including poetry collections and treatises on various subjects, earned him widespread acclaim and recognition among his contemporaries.
The name RAJO is also associated with several place names in the Indian subcontinent. For instance, Rajo Goth is a village in the Tharparkar district of Sindh, Pakistan, and Rajo Ki Mandi is a historic market area in the city of Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan.
Throughout history, numerous individuals with the surname RAJO have made significant contributions in various fields, including politics, military, arts, and literature. Some notable examples include Shri Rajo Singh Rathore, a 20th-century politician and social reformer from Rajasthan, India, and Ustad Rajo Khan, a renowned classical musician and tabla maestro from Pakistan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rajo
Among Census respondents with the surname Rajo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and White (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rajo 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 Rajo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.6% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.3% · 8
- White6.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rajo
Rajo 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+12 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,735 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-19 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,067 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,735 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 18,067 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 Rajo 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 | #131,379 | #149,446 | -13.8% |
| Count | 129 | 110 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rajo bearers went from 129 to 110 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 18,067 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #149,446.
FAQ
Rajo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rajo?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Rajo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Rajo?
Rajo ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Rajo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Rajo.
Has Rajo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rajo went from 129 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Rajo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rajo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and White (6.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rajo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rajo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%), White (6.4%). 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 Rajo (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 Rajo mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name meaning "bright" or "radiant". 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 Rajo (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 share the surname Rajo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.