2000
#55,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 350
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Rathsack
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Rathsack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 424 Americans carry the last name Rathsack. That puts it at #59,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 808,383 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rathsack 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
424
1 in 808,383
Census rank
#59,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
370
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 370 bearers of the surname Rathsack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rathsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rathsack
The surname Rathsack originated in Germany, likely in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "rat" meaning "counsel" and "sack" meaning "sack" or "bag". This suggests the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone involved in counseling or advising, perhaps carrying documents or records in a sack.
One of the earliest known references to the Rathsack name can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a Johann Rathsack is mentioned in a document dated 1412. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the German states of Bavaria and Saxony in the 15th and 16th centuries, with spellings varying slightly between Rathsack, Radtsack, and Radsack.
During the 16th century, a prominent figure named Hans Rathsack (1525-1589) was a respected theologian and author in the city of Erfurt. His writings on Protestant theology and his sermons were widely circulated throughout the region.
In the 18th century, a notable Rathsack was Johann Georg Rathsack (1695-1768), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. His compositions, mostly for organ and harpsichord, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another historical figure of note was Karl Friedrich Rathsack (1812-1895), a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives in the mid-19th century. He was involved in legal reforms and advocated for greater civil rights and liberties during his time in office.
In the late 19th century, a German explorer named Wilhelm Rathsack (1864-1921) was part of an expedition to the Kalahari Desert in present-day Namibia and Botswana. His accounts of the journey and the indigenous peoples he encountered were published in several books and journals upon his return to Germany.
While the Rathsack surname is not among the most common German surnames, it can still be found throughout Germany and in regions with significant German diaspora populations, particularly in North America and parts of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rathsack
Among Census respondents with the surname Rathsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rathsack 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 Rathsack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 354
- Two or more races2.4% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rathsack
Rathsack 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
#56,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 363
+13 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,307 places
2020
#59,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 370
+7 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 2,790 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,003 | 350 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56,310 | 363 | 0.12 | +13 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 1,307 places |
| 2020 | #59,100 | 370 | 0.12 | +7 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 2,790 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 Rathsack 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 | #56,310 | #59,100 | -5.0% |
| Count | 363 | 370 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rathsack bearers went from 363 to 370 (+1.9% change). The surname moved down 2,790 positions in the national ranking, going from #56,310 to #59,100.
FAQ
Rathsack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rathsack?
Name Census estimates that about 424 living Americans carry the surname Rathsack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 808,383 residents.
How common is Rathsack?
Rathsack ranks #59,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 370 people with the surname Rathsack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Rathsack.
Has Rathsack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rathsack went from 363 recorded bearers to 370. That is an increase of 7 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #56,310 to #59,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Rathsack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rathsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Rathsack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (354 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rathsack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Rathsack (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 Rathsack mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Rathsack. 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 Rathsack (0.12 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 Rathsack?
Find out how many people have the last name Rathsack on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.