2000
#10,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,750
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Rakestraw
An English occupational surname referring to a person who raked straw or worked with straw.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,104 Americans carry the last name Rakestraw. That puts it at #11,178 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rakestraw 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
3.1K
1 in 110,423
Census rank
#11,178
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,707 bearers of the surname Rakestraw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11178th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rakestraw, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rakestraw
The surname Rakestraw is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "racu" meaning "stream" and "straw" meaning "straw". This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a stream of straw or reeds.
Rakestraw is a locational surname, meaning it was likely originally borne by someone who hailed from a place called Rakestraw or a similar variation. However, no definitive place of origin has been identified, as the name could have evolved from various locations across different regions of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rakestraw can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a William Rakestraw is listed. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 14th century.
During the 16th century, the spelling variations of the name began to emerge, including Rackstraw, Rakestraw, and Raxtraw. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
Notable individuals bearing the Rakestraw surname throughout history include:
1. John Rakestraw (c. 1530-1605), an English landowner and member of Parliament for Hertfordshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Thomas Rakestraw (1592-1670), an English clergyman and author of several religious treatises.
3. Mary Rakestraw (1645-1712), one of the first female silversmiths in London and a prominent member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
4. William Rakestraw (1710-1781), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and was captured at the Battle of Yorktown.
5. Elizabeth Rakestraw (1825-1898), an English philanthropist and advocate for women's education, who founded several schools in her hometown of Nottingham.
While the Rakestraw surname may not be as widespread as some other English surnames, it has a rich history dating back to medieval times, with various branches and notable individuals contributing to its legacy over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rakestraw
Among Census respondents with the surname Rakestraw, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rakestraw 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 Rakestraw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 2,119
- Black or African American12.5% · 338
- Two or more races4.4% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rakestraw
Rakestraw 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
#11,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,781
+31 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 669 places
2020
#11,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,707
-74 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,674 | 2,750 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,343 | 2,781 | 0.94 | +31 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 669 places |
| 2020 | #11,178 | 2,707 | 0.91 | -74 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 165 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 Rakestraw 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 | #11,343 | #11,178 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,781 | 2,707 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.91 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rakestraw bearers went from 2,781 to 2,707 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,343 to #11,178.
FAQ
Rakestraw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rakestraw?
Name Census estimates that about 3,104 living Americans carry the surname Rakestraw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,423 residents.
How common is Rakestraw?
Rakestraw ranks #11,178 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,707 people with the surname Rakestraw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Rakestraw.
Has Rakestraw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rakestraw went from 2,781 recorded bearers to 2,707. That is a decrease of 74 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,343 to #11,178.
What does the Census say about the background of Rakestraw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rakestraw, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Rakestraw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (2,119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rakestraw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Black (12.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Rakestraw (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 Rakestraw mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who raked straw or worked with straw. 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 Rakestraw (0.91 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 have the surname Rakestraw?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.