Find out how popular the last name Rath is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rath.

Rath, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rath surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rath in America

Rath is the 5178th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rath surname appeared 6,747 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Rath.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rath to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rath

The surname Rath has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the early Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German word "rat," meaning counsel or advice. It is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive name for someone who was known for offering wise counsel or guidance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rath can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various forms, such as Rat, Rath, and Rathe, reflecting the spelling variations common during that time.

In the late 12th century, a nobleman named Burkhard Rath was mentioned in a charter from the Archbishopric of Cologne, suggesting that the name had already gained recognition among the German nobility. Another notable early bearer of the name was Heinrich Rath, a merchant from Lübeck who was recorded in the city's trade records in the 14th century.

The Rath surname also has connections to several place names in Germany, such as Rath bei Ratingen and Rath bei Düsseldorf, both located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. These places likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Rath who lived or held property there.

Throughout history, several prominent individuals have borne the Rath surname, including:

1. Georg Rath (1522-1568), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
2. Johann Rath (1652-1716), a German baroque composer and organist known for his contributions to sacred music.
3. Gerhard vom Rath (1830-1888), a German politician and statesman who served as the Imperial Minister of Foreign Affairs for the German Empire.
4. Ernst vom Rath (1909-1938), a German diplomat whose assassination in Paris in 1938 was used by the Nazi regime as a pretext for the Kristallnacht pogrom against Jews.
5. Günter Rath (born 1939), a German football player and manager who played for and managed several Bundesliga clubs in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Rath surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany and has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration. While its origins can be traced back to the early Middle Ages, the name continues to hold significance as a part of German cultural heritage and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rath

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rath.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rath was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rath has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rath was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rath, please contact us.

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