2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rapant
A surname derived from the French word "rapant," meaning a bold or audacious person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Rapant. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rapant 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Rapant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapant, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rapant
The surname RAPANT is believed to have originated in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "rapant," which means "to crawl" or "to drag." This suggests that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who moved in a slow or sluggish manner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RAPANT can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres," a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Robertus Rapant," indicating that the surname was already in use at that time.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the "Trésor des chartes d'Anjou," a collection of charters from the French province of Anjou. This record mentions a "Johannes Rapant," further solidifying the presence of the surname in medieval France.
During the 14th century, the name RAPANT can be found in the "Rôles gascons," a collection of administrative records from the English-controlled regions of southwestern France. This document refers to a "Petrus Rapant," suggesting that the name had spread beyond its initial region of origin.
One notable bearer of the surname RAPANT was Jean Rapant, a French merchant and landowner who lived in the 15th century. Records indicate that he owned several properties in the Normandy region and was involved in the wool trade.
In the 16th century, the name RAPANT appears in the "Registres de la paroisse de Saint-Sulpice," a parish register from Paris. This source mentions a "Nicolas Rapant," born in 1542, who worked as a baker in the city.
Another individual of historical significance was Jacques Rapant, a French soldier who fought in the Wars of Religion during the late 16th century. He served under Henri IV, King of France, and is mentioned in several military records from that period.
As the centuries progressed, the RAPANT surname spread across various regions of France and eventually to other parts of Europe and beyond. While the name may have evolved in spelling or pronunciation over time, its origins can be traced back to the descriptive Old French term "rapant," reflecting the unique history and cultural influences that shaped this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rapant
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapant, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rapant 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 Rapant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 95
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rapant
Rapant 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
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 1,501 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 Rapant 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 | #153,769 | #155,270 | -1.0% |
| Count | 106 | 101 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rapant bearers went from 106 to 101 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 1,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,270.
FAQ
Rapant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rapant?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Rapant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Rapant?
Rapant ranks #155,270 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 101 people with the surname Rapant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Rapant.
Has Rapant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rapant went from 106 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Rapant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapant, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) 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 Rapant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rapant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), 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 Rapant (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 Rapant mean?
A surname derived from the French word "rapant," meaning a bold or audacious person. 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 Rapant (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 Rapant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.