2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rambach
A German locational surname referring to someone from a place called Rambach.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Rambach. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rambach 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Rambach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rambach
The surname Rambach is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a habitational name, referring to someone who lived near a stream called the Ram or Rambach. This type of surname was common in medieval Germany, where people were often identified by their place of residence or a nearby geographical feature.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Rambach can be found in various German records and documents dating back to the 13th century. One notable example is the mention of a Hugo Rambach in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which dates back to around 1270.
In the 14th century, the name Rambach appeared in the Necrologium Sueviense, a medieval necrology or obituary book from the region of Swabia in southwestern Germany. This record mentions a Heinrich Rambach who passed away in 1342.
During the Renaissance period, the name Rambach gained further prominence with notable figures such as Johann Jakob Rambach (1693-1735), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher. He was known for his works on moral theology and ethics, and his teachings had a significant influence on the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another prominent figure bearing the Rambach surname was Johann Friedrich Rambach (1673-1733), a German jurist and legal scholar. He served as a professor of law at the University of Halle and contributed significantly to the development of German civil law.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Rambach (1813-1890) was a German architect and urban planner. He played a crucial role in the development of several cities in Germany, including the design of the Alte Wache in Berlin, which is now a renowned architectural landmark.
It is worth noting that variations of the name, such as Rambach, Rammbach, and Rammbacher, can also be found throughout historical records, reflecting the diverse spelling and regional variations common in the past.
While the name Rambach has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, with descendants of those bearing this surname contributing to various fields and disciplines throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rambach
Among Census respondents with the surname Rambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rambach 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 Rambach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rambach
Rambach 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,591 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,591 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,243 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 Rambach 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 | #148,347 | #153,590 | -3.5% |
| Count | 111 | 104 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rambach bearers went from 111 to 104 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,243 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #153,590.
FAQ
Rambach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rambach?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Rambach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Rambach?
Rambach ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Rambach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Rambach.
Has Rambach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rambach went from 111 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Rambach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Rambach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rambach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Rambach (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 Rambach mean?
A German locational surname referring to someone from a place called Rambach. 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 Rambach (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 many people share the surname Rambach?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.