2000
#1,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,989
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.38
Uncommon Last name
Rankin
A Scottish and Northern Irish surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Rand, meaning "shield-bearer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,300 Americans carry the last name Rankin. That puts it at #1,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,951 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rankin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rankin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 10,951
Census rank
#1,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,295 bearers of the surname Rankin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rankin, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rankin
The surname Rankin originates from Scotland and is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "rangan" or "raineach", meaning fern or bracken. It is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near an area abundant with ferns or bracken.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century. In the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which contains the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, several variations of the name, such as Rankin, Rankyn, and Ranken, are mentioned.
The name Rankin is also found in historical records from the 14th century, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1364, where a Thomas Rankyn is mentioned. This suggests that the name was well-established in Scotland by this time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Rankin was Robert Rankin, who lived in the 15th century and was a prominent landowner in Ayrshire, Scotland. Another notable figure was William Rankin (c. 1510-1590), a Scottish clergyman and reformer who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
In the 16th century, the Rankin family had established themselves in various parts of Scotland, including Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, and Ayrshire. The name was also associated with the parish of Rankinston, which is now part of the town of Ayr.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rankin include:
1. Thomas Rankin (1738-1810), an English Methodist minister and abolitionist who campaigned against slavery.
2. Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973), an American politician and suffragist who was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
3. Arthur Rankin Jr. (1924-2014), an American producer and director best known for creating the stop-motion animated television specials "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town".
4. Ian Rankin (born 1960), a Scottish crime writer best known for his Inspector Rebus novels.
5. Dexter Rankin (born 1974), a British boxer and former super bantamweight world champion.
While the Rankin surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish immigration to North America and other regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rankin
Among Census respondents with the surname Rankin, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rankin 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 Rankin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.9% · 20,711
- Black or African American15.4% · 4,190
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,090
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 997
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 122
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rankin
Rankin 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
#1,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,821
+832 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 9.77
Rank movement Down 81 places
2020
#1,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,295
-1,526 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 9.13
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,148 | 27,989 | 10.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,229 | 28,821 | 9.77 | +832 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 81 places |
| 2020 | #1,262 | 27,295 | 9.13 | -1,526 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 33 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 Rankin 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 | #1,229 | #1,262 | -2.7% |
| Count | 28,821 | 27,295 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 9.77 | 9.13 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rankin bearers went from 28,821 to 27,295 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,229 to #1,262.
FAQ
Rankin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rankin?
Name Census estimates that about 31,300 living Americans carry the surname Rankin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,951 residents.
How common is Rankin?
Rankin ranks #1,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,295 people with the surname Rankin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Rankin.
Has Rankin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rankin went from 28,821 recorded bearers to 27,295. That is a decrease of 1,526 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,229 to #1,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Rankin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rankin, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Rankin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.9% (20,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rankin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.9%), Black (15.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Rankin (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 Rankin mean?
A Scottish and Northern Irish surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Rand, meaning "shield-bearer." 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 Rankin (9.13 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 are called Rankin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Rankin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.