2000
#57,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Rapa
A surname derived from the Italian word "rapa", meaning turnip or rapeseed plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 421 Americans carry the last name Rapa. That puts it at #59,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 814,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rapa 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
421
1 in 814,143
Census rank
#59,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
367
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 367 bearers of the surname Rapa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapa, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rapa
The surname RAPA is of Italian origin, with its earliest recorded instances traced back to the late 13th century in the region of Tuscany. It is believed to derive from the Latin word "rapum," meaning "turnip," potentially indicating an association with agriculture or a location where turnips were abundant.
One of the earliest known records of the RAPA surname appears in the Florentine tax records of 1296, where a certain Gherardo Rapa is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Tuscan region by that time.
During the 14th century, the RAPA surname started to appear in other parts of Italy, particularly in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. This dispersal could be attributed to migration patterns or the establishment of trade routes across the Italian peninsula.
In the 15th century, the RAPA surname gained prominence in the city of Venice, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was Andrea Rapa, a renowned Venetian architect born in 1450, who contributed to the design and construction of several churches and palaces in the city.
As the Renaissance period unfolded, the RAPA surname continued to spread across Europe. In the 16th century, records show instances of the name in Spain, where it was likely introduced through Italian merchants or settlers. One notable Spanish figure with the RAPA surname was Pedro Rapa, a military commander who fought in the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the RAPA surname found its way to the British Isles, potentially through Italian immigrants or those with Italian ancestry. One of the earliest recorded instances in England was that of Giovanni Rapa, an Italian-born musician who served as a court composer to King Charles II in the late 1600s.
As time progressed, the RAPA surname continued to spread across various regions, with bearers of the name contributing to diverse fields such as art, literature, and science. Notable individuals include Italian painter Giacomo Rapa (1752-1834), French novelist Émile Rapa (1810-1871), and Austrian physicist Josef Rapa (1892-1975).
Throughout its history, the RAPA surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Rappa, Rappа, and Rappi, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of the regions where it was adopted. Despite these variations, the name's connection to its Italian roots and the Latin word "rapum" remains a consistent thread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rapa
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapa, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rapa 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 Rapa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 322
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 20
- Two or more races0.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rapa
Rapa 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
#58,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 350
+21 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 193 places
2020
#59,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 367
+17 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,849 | 329 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,042 | 350 | 0.12 | +21 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 193 places |
| 2020 | #59,512 | 367 | 0.12 | +17 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 1,470 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 Rapa 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 | #58,042 | #59,512 | -2.5% |
| Count | 350 | 367 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rapa bearers went from 350 to 367 (+4.9% change). The surname moved down 1,470 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,042 to #59,512.
FAQ
Rapa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rapa?
Name Census estimates that about 421 living Americans carry the surname Rapa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 814,143 residents.
How common is Rapa?
Rapa ranks #59,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 367 people with the surname Rapa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Rapa.
Has Rapa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rapa went from 350 recorded bearers to 367. That is an increase of 17 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,042 to #59,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Rapa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapa, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Rapa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rapa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Rapa (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 Rapa mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "rapa", meaning turnip or rapeseed plant. 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 Rapa (0.12 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 Rapa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.