2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rapko
A surname derived from a Polish or Czech nickname meaning "crab" or "sickle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Rapko. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rapko 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Rapko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rapko
The surname RAPKO is believed to have originated in Poland, where it first appeared in historical records dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Polish word "rapka," which means "a small wound or scratch," suggesting that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a noticeable scar or injury.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RAPKO can be found in a 1598 tax register from the town of Krakow, where a certain Jan RAPKO was listed as a resident. Another early mention of the name appears in the baptismal records of the Church of St. Mary in the nearby village of Wieliczka, where a child named Katarzyna RAPKO was christened in 1612.
As the centuries passed, the RAPKO name gradually spread across various regions of Poland, with notable bearers including Stanisław RAPKO (1643-1711), a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Tarnów, and Andrzej RAPKO (1785-1861), a scholar and professor of philosophy at the University of Krakow.
By the 19th century, the RAPKO surname had also found its way into other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, with records showing individuals bearing the name in areas such as present-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. One notable individual from this era was Maksymilian RAPKO (1822-1897), a Ukrainian-born writer and poet who gained recognition for his works in both Polish and Ukrainian languages.
Another noteworthy figure was Józef RAPKO (1870-1942), a Polish-born architect who made significant contributions to the design of several iconic buildings in the city of Lviv, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His most famous works include the Lviv National Opera House and the nearby Grand Hotel.
While the RAPKO surname may not be among the most common in the world, its rich history and associations with various professions and achievements across different regions serve as a testament to the diverse cultural influences and migrations that have shaped the tapestry of surnames throughout Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rapko
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rapko 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 Rapko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rapko
Rapko 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+3 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,862 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 5,862 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,463 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 Rapko 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 | #133,048 | #143,511 | -7.9% |
| Count | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rapko bearers went from 127 to 118 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #143,511.
FAQ
Rapko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rapko?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Rapko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Rapko?
Rapko ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Rapko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Rapko.
Has Rapko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rapko went from 127 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Rapko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Rapko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rapko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Rapko (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 Rapko mean?
A surname derived from a Polish or Czech nickname meaning "crab" or "sickle". 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 Rapko (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 are called Rapko?
Find out how common the surname Rapko is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.