2000
#3,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,617
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.19
Rare Last name
Rauch
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "rouch," meaning smoke or chimney.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,794 Americans carry the last name Rauch. That puts it at #4,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,996 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rauch 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 Rauch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 34,996
Census rank
#4,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,541 bearers of the surname Rauch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rauch
The surname "RAUCH" is of German origin, derived from the German word "rauch," which means "smoke" or "smoky." This name is thought to have originated in the 13th century and was likely given to someone who worked with smoke, such as a blacksmith or someone involved in the production of charcoal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name RAUCH can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 15th century, the name RAUCH appeared in several historical records, including tax rolls and court documents. One notable example is the mention of a Hans Rauch in the Nuremberg city records in 1457.
The RAUCH surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Rauchenbach and Rauchhaus, which may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the name in certain regions.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname RAUCH. One of the earliest recorded was Johann Rauch (1540-1614), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Wittenberg.
Another prominent figure was Christian Daniel Rauch (1777-1857), a renowned German sculptor and professor of sculpture at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin. His works include the famous equestrian statue of Frederick the Great in Berlin.
In the literary world, the name RAUCH is associated with Christian Hermann Rauch (1805-1882), a German author and journalist who wrote several novels and plays during the 19th century.
In the field of science, we find Friedrich August Rauch (1806-1841), a German botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research in the Caucasus region and contributed to the knowledge of the flora in that area.
Additionally, the name RAUCH has been carried by notable military figures, such as Gustav Rauch (1874-1942), a German general who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Pour le Mérite, one of the highest military honors in Prussia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rauch
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rauch 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 Rauch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 7,787
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 298
- Two or more races2.6% · 223
- Black or African American1.7% · 141
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rauch
Rauch 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
#3,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,972
+355 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#4,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,541
-431 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Down 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,776 | 8,617 | 3.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,962 | 8,972 | 3.04 | +355 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #4,034 | 8,541 | 2.86 | -431 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 72 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 Rauch 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 | #3,962 | #4,034 | -1.8% |
| Count | 8,972 | 8,541 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.04 | 2.86 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rauch bearers went from 8,972 to 8,541 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,962 to #4,034.
FAQ
Rauch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rauch?
Name Census estimates that about 9,794 living Americans carry the surname Rauch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,996 residents.
How common is Rauch?
Rauch ranks #4,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,541 people with the surname Rauch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,794), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Rauch.
Has Rauch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rauch went from 8,972 recorded bearers to 8,541. That is a decrease of 431 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,962 to #4,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Rauch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Rauch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (7,787 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rauch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Rauch (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 Rauch mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "rouch," meaning smoke or chimney. 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 Rauch (2.86 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 Rauch?
See how many people have the last name Rauch on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.