Rauch last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Rauch

A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "rouch," meaning smoke or chimney.

Rauch, 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 Rauch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rauch in America

Rauch is the 3962nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rauch surname appeared 8,972 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Rauch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rauch 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 3962 3776 4.81%
Count 8,972 8,617 4.04%
Proportion per 100k 3.04 3.19 -4.82%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rauch

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

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 Rauch was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.67% 8,404
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.77% 159
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.69% 62
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.33% 30
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.18% 106
Hispanic Origin 2.35% 211

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 Rauch has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.67% 94.77% -1.17%
Black 1.77% 1.72% 2.87%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.69% 0.52% 28.10%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.33% 0.28% 16.39%
Two or More Races 1.18% 1.09% 7.93%
Hispanic 2.35% 1.62% 36.78%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Rauch last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/rauch-surname-popularity/.

"Rauch last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/rauch-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 November, 2024

Rauch last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/rauch-surname-popularity/.

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