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

Rakowitz, 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 Rakowitz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rakowitz in America

Rakowitz is the 63873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rakowitz surname appeared 312 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 Rakowitz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rakowitz 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 Rakowitz

The surname Rakowitz is of Slavic origin, with roots tracing back to the regions of modern-day Poland and Belarus. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Slavic word "rak," which means "crab," potentially indicating an association with a particular occupation or location related to crab fishing or harvesting.

One of the earliest known references to the name Rakowitz can be found in a 16th-century parish register from a village near the town of Krakow, Poland. The record mentions a certain Jan Rakowitz, who lived in the area during that time. It is possible that this individual or their ancestors were among the first to bear the surname.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various legal documents and property records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For example, a merchant named Michal Rakowitz is documented as having traded goods between Vilnius and Gdansk in the 1640s.

The earliest known individual of significance bearing the Rakowitz surname was Jakub Rakowitz, a Polish artist and woodcarver who lived from 1612 to 1687. His intricate carvings adorned several churches and cathedrals in the Krakow region, and he is considered one of the most skilled woodworkers of his time.

Another notable figure was Wladyslaw Rakowitz, a Polish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1782, he rose to the rank of Colonel in the Polish Legions and was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration, for his bravery in the Battle of Radzyn in 1809.

In the 19th century, Ignacy Rakowitz, a Polish poet and writer, gained recognition for his romantic poetry and patriotic works. He was born in 1818 and published several collections of poems, including "Echoes from the Past" and "Songs of the Fatherland," which became popular during the Polish national revival movement.

The name Rakowitz also appears in historical records from other Slavic regions, such as Ukraine and Belarus. For instance, a family of landowners named Rakowitz is mentioned in documents from the Brest region of modern-day Belarus, dating back to the late 18th century.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the Rakowitz surname began to spread beyond its traditional Slavic heartland, as individuals bearing the name migrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas in search of new opportunities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rakowitz

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

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 Rakowitz 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 Rakowitz 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 Rakowitz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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