2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Rassas
An Arabic surname possibly derived from the root word "ras" meaning chief or leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Rassas. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rassas 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Rassas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rassas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rassas
The surname RASSAS is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of Syria and Lebanon. It is thought to have its roots in the Arabic language, where the word "ras" means "head" or "chief." The double "s" is likely a variation or pluralization of the word.
The earliest recorded instances of the RASSAS surname date back to the 16th century, appearing in historical documents and records from the Ottoman Empire's rule over the region. It is possible that the name was initially given to individuals who held positions of authority or leadership within their communities.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the RASSAS name can be found in various manuscripts and records from the region, including tax registers and property deeds. One notable individual from this era was Ibrahim Al-Rassas, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Damascus in the late 17th century.
As the Ottoman Empire began to decline in the 19th century, many individuals bearing the RASSAS surname emigrated to other parts of the Middle East and beyond. In the 1860s, a family by the name of RASSAS settled in Egypt, where they established themselves as successful traders and businessmen.
One of the most prominent figures with the RASSAS surname was Khalil Al-Rassas, a Syrian poet and literary critic who lived from 1867 to 1940. He was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and played a significant role in the Nahda, the Arab literary renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable individual was Farid RASSAS, a Lebanese architect who was born in 1920 and made significant contributions to the modernist architectural movement in the Middle East. His designs can be seen in various cities across the region, including Beirut and Dubai.
In the 20th century, the RASSAS surname spread further as families migrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Europe. However, the name retains its strong ties to its Middle Eastern origins and the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rassas
Among Census respondents with the surname Rassas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rassas 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 Rassas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rassas
Rassas 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
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-3 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,526 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 4,526 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 Rassas 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 | #160,975 | #156,449 | 2.8% |
| Count | 100 | 97 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rassas bearers went from 100 to 97 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 4,526 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #156,449.
FAQ
Rassas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rassas?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Rassas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Rassas?
Rassas ranks #156,449 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 97 people with the surname Rassas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), 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 Rassas.
Has Rassas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rassas went from 100 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 3 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Rassas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rassas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Rassas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rassas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Rassas (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 Rassas mean?
An Arabic surname possibly derived from the root word "ras" meaning chief or leader. 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 Rassas (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 common is the surname Rassas?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Rassas? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.