2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rapalee
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Rapalee. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rapalee 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Rapalee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapalee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rapalee
The surname Rapalee is believed to have originated in France, with its roots traced back to the 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the French word "rapaille," meaning "rabble" or "riffraff," which was used to describe the lower classes or commoners.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rapalee can be found in the parish records of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, an island off the western coast of France, in the late 1600s. The name was likely associated with families residing in this region during that time period.
In the 18th century, the name Rapalee appeared in various historical documents and records across different regions of France, suggesting that it had spread beyond its initial origins. For instance, records from the city of Nantes mention a certain Pierre Rapalee, a merchant born in 1725.
As the name spread, it underwent several spelling variations, including Rapalie, Rapaleé, and Rapalée. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual families or record keepers.
One notable individual bearing the Rapalee surname was Jacques Rapalee, a French military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. Born in 1782 in Marseille, he rose through the ranks and participated in several major campaigns, including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Another historical figure with the Rapalee name was Marie-Thérèse Rapalee, a renowned French artist and sculptor active in the late 18th century. Her works were exhibited in several salons in Paris, and she is recognized for her contributions to the Neoclassical art movement.
In the 19th century, the Rapalee surname was also found in parts of Belgium and the Netherlands, likely due to the migration of French families or individuals to these regions. One such individual was Jean-Baptiste Rapalee, a Belgian architect born in 1825, who designed several notable buildings in Brussels.
While the Rapalee surname may have originated from a term referring to the lower classes, it has since been associated with individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history, including merchants, military personnel, artists, and architects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rapalee
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapalee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rapalee 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 Rapalee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rapalee
Rapalee 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,415 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,415 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 9,280 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 Rapalee 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 | #157,234 | #147,954 | 5.9% |
| Count | 103 | 112 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rapalee bearers went from 103 to 112 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 9,280 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #147,954.
FAQ
Rapalee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rapalee?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Rapalee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Rapalee?
Rapalee ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Rapalee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rapalee.
Has Rapalee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rapalee went from 103 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Rapalee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapalee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rapalee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rapalee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rapalee (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 Rapalee mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name in France. 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 Rapalee (0.04 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 Rapalee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.