2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Ramah
An Arabic surname meaning "shooter of arrows" or "archer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Ramah. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ramah 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Ramah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramah, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%) and Black (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ramah
The surname RAMAH is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language and the biblical place name Ramah, which means "height" or "high place." The name is thought to have its roots in the ancient Middle Eastern region, particularly in areas now known as Israel, Palestine, and parts of modern-day Syria and Lebanon.
The earliest known references to the name RAMAH can be traced back to biblical texts and historical records from the ancient Israelite kingdoms. It is mentioned in the Old Testament as a town in the hill country of Benjamin, where the prophet Samuel was born and raised. The name may have been adopted as a surname by families living in or near the town of Ramah.
During the Middle Ages, the name RAMAH appeared in various European records and documents, likely carried by Jewish communities who migrated from the Middle East to different parts of Europe. One notable example is the 13th-century Jewish scholar and philosopher, Moses ben Nachman, also known as Nachmanides or Ramban, who was born in Gerona, Spain, in 1194.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name RAMAH can be found in records from various parts of Europe, including England, France, and Germany. One notable individual was Sir William Ramah (1546-1613), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another significant figure bearing the surname RAMAH was Johann Ramah (1585-1635), a German astronomer and mathematician who made important contributions to the development of logarithms and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 18th century, the name RAMAH appeared in records from the American colonies, likely brought by early Jewish settlers and immigrants from Europe. One notable individual was Benjamin Ramah (1738-1824), a prominent merchant and landowner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname RAMAH continued to be present in various parts of the world, with individuals such as the German philosopher and writer, Johann Gottlieb Ramah (1786-1859), and the American artist and illustrator, Walter Ramah (1887-1958).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ramah
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramah, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%) and Black (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ramah 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 Ramah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.9% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander37.8% · 37
- Black or African American6.1% · 6
- Two or more races5.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ramah
Ramah appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-4 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 2,163 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 Ramah 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 | #158,432 | #156,269 | 1.4% |
| Count | 102 | 98 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ramah bearers went from 102 to 98 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 2,163 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,269.
FAQ
Ramah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ramah?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Ramah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Ramah?
Ramah ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Ramah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ramah.
Has Ramah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ramah went from 102 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Ramah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramah, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Ramah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.9% (45 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ramah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%), Black (6.1%). 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 Ramah (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 Ramah mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "shooter of arrows" or "archer". 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 Ramah (0.03 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 common is the surname Ramah?
See how many Americans have the surname Ramah on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.