2000
#2,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.17
Uncommon Last name
Rapp
A surname of German origin, derived from a shortened form of the given name Rupert or Ruprecht.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,609 Americans carry the last name Rapp. That puts it at #2,593 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rapp 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 Rapp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,959
Census rank
#2,593
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,612 bearers of the surname Rapp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2593rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rapp
The surname Rapp originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "rap," which means "turnip" or "cabbage." It was likely an occupational name given to someone who grew or sold these vegetables.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a collection of medieval documents from Westphalia, Germany. In this text, a man named Hermannus Rapp is mentioned in an entry from the year 1181.
The Rapp surname also appears in various other medieval records, including the Liber Census Daniæ, a Danish census from the late 13th century, which lists several individuals with the name Rapp residing in various towns and villages.
In the 14th century, the name is found in the Stadtbuch von Augsburg, a record book from the city of Augsburg, Germany. One notable entry from 1357 refers to a man named Conradus Rapp, who was a merchant and landowner in the city.
As the name spread throughout Germany, it also took on various spelling variations, such as Rapp, Rappe, and Rappen. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences.
Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname Rapp, including:
1. Jean Rapp (1772-1821), a French general who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and was known for his military campaigns in Germany and Italy.
2. Erasmus Rapp (1612-1686), a German Protestant theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects.
3. Amon Henry Rapp (1803-1890), an American architect and pioneer who designed several notable buildings in Indiana and Ohio.
4. Tobias Rapp (c. 1570-1638), a German composer and organist who was active in the early Baroque period.
5. Georg Rapp (1757-1847), a German-American religious leader who founded the Harmony Society, a influential Christian separatist group that established several settlements in Pennsylvania and Indiana.
While the surname Rapp originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, when it was likely an occupational name associated with the cultivation or trade of turnips and cabbage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rapp
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rapp 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 Rapp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 12,374
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 465
- Two or more races2.9% · 399
- Black or African American1.6% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rapp
Rapp 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
#2,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,107
+156 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 4.78
Rank movement Down 181 places
2020
#2,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,612
-495 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 4.55
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,381 | 13,951 | 5.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,562 | 14,107 | 4.78 | +156 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 181 places |
| 2020 | #2,593 | 13,612 | 4.55 | -495 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 31 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 Rapp 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 | #2,562 | #2,593 | -1.2% |
| Count | 14,107 | 13,612 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.78 | 4.55 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rapp bearers went from 14,107 to 13,612 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,562 to #2,593.
FAQ
Rapp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rapp?
Name Census estimates that about 15,609 living Americans carry the surname Rapp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,959 residents.
How common is Rapp?
Rapp ranks #2,593 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,612 people with the surname Rapp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,609), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Rapp.
Has Rapp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rapp went from 14,107 recorded bearers to 13,612. That is a decrease of 495 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,562 to #2,593.
What does the Census say about the background of Rapp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rapp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (12,374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rapp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rapp (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 Rapp mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from a shortened form of the given name Rupert or Ruprecht. 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 Rapp (4.55 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 common is the surname Rapp?
Find out how many people are called Rapp on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.