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

Rather, 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 Rather surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rather in America

Rather is the 15309th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rather surname appeared 1,917 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rather.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rather 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 Rather

The surname RATHER originated in England, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "ræðra," meaning "sooner" or "earlier," which later evolved into the word "rather." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was prompt or early in completing tasks.

The name RATHER can be traced back to various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which contain references to individuals bearing this surname. It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a Robert Rather is mentioned.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name RATHER was John Rather, who was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1383. Another early individual with this surname was William Rather, whose name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379.

In the 15th century, the name RATHER was associated with several notable individuals, including Robert Rather, a merchant from Bristol who lived around 1450. The name also appears in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the Paston family in Norfolk, where a John Rather is mentioned in a letter dated 1472.

During the 16th century, the surname RATHER gained prominence with individuals such as Thomas Rather, a scholar and clergyman who was born in Somerset around 1505. He studied at Oxford University and later became the Rector of Lapworth in Warwickshire.

Another notable bearer of the RATHER surname was William Rather, a Member of Parliament for Ipswich in the late 16th century. He was born in Suffolk around 1550 and served in the Parliament of 1597.

In the 17th century, the name RATHER was found in various parts of England, with records showing individuals such as John Rather, a landowner in Oxfordshire, born around 1620, and Richard Rather, a merchant from Bristol, born in 1645.

The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent figures with the RATHER surname, including Samuel Rather, a successful businessman and landowner from Yorkshire, born in 1715. Additionally, Thomas Rather, a renowned architect from Gloucestershire, born in 1740, left his mark on various buildings in the region.

Throughout history, the RATHER surname has been associated with various locations and place names, including Rather Park in Sussex, Rather Farm in Wiltshire, and Rather Hill in Staffordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rather

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

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 Rather 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 Rather 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 Rather was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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