2000
#9,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,306
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Rakes
An English occupational surname referring to a person who gathered hay or cleared gardens with a rake.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,510 Americans carry the last name Rakes. That puts it at #10,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,651 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rakes 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
3.5K
1 in 97,651
Census rank
#10,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,061 bearers of the surname Rakes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rakes
The surname RAKES has its roots in the Old English language and is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the 9th or 10th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "racu," which means a rake or a long-handled tool used for gathering hay or other materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RAKES surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property rights in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this historical document, the name appears as "Racus," which is believed to be an early variation of the modern spelling.
During the Middle Ages, the RAKES surname was primarily found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where many families with this name were engaged in agricultural activities. The name was likely given as an occupational surname to individuals who worked with rakes or were responsible for gathering and storing hay or other crops.
In the 14th century, there are records of a John Rakes who lived in the village of Leybourne, Kent, England. Another notable individual was William Rakes, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Harpham, Yorkshire, in the late 15th century.
As time passed, the RAKES surname spread to other parts of England and even beyond. One notable bearer of this name was Sir Thomas Rakes (1572-1644), an English politician and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the English Civil War.
Another prominent individual with the RAKES surname was John Rakes (1667-1727), a successful merchant and businessman from Bristol, England, who made a significant fortune through his trading ventures in the West Indies and North America.
In the 19th century, the RAKES surname gained further recognition with the birth of George Rakes (1819-1890), a renowned British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall in London.
While the RAKES surname has undergone some spelling variations over the centuries, such as Rakes, Raikes, and Raykes, its origins and meaning have remained closely tied to the agricultural roots and occupational history of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rakes
Among Census respondents with the surname Rakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rakes 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 Rakes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,753
- Two or more races3.7% · 113
- Black or African American3.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rakes
Rakes 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
#9,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,318
+12 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 680 places
2020
#10,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,061
-257 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,085 | 3,306 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,765 | 3,318 | 1.12 | +12 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 680 places |
| 2020 | #10,040 | 3,061 | 1.02 | -257 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 275 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 Rakes 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 | #9,765 | #10,040 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,318 | 3,061 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.02 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rakes bearers went from 3,318 to 3,061 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 275 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,765 to #10,040.
FAQ
Rakes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rakes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,510 living Americans carry the surname Rakes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,651 residents.
How common is Rakes?
Rakes ranks #10,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,061 people with the surname Rakes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Rakes.
Has Rakes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rakes went from 3,318 recorded bearers to 3,061. That is a decrease of 257 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,765 to #10,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Rakes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rakes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,753 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rakes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (3.4%). 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 Rakes (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 Rakes mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who gathered hay or cleared gardens with a rake. 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 Rakes (1.02 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 Americans have the surname Rakes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.