2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rauchfuss
German surname indicating a smoky or fiery foot.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Rauchfuss. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rauchfuss 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Rauchfuss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauchfuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rauchfuss
The surname Rauchfuss has its origins in the German language, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in various regions of what is now modern-day Germany. The name is derived from the German words "rauch," meaning smoke, and "fuss," meaning foot, which together suggest a possible occupation or characteristic associated with this surname.
One of the earliest known records of the Rauchfuss name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 9th century, which contains references to individuals bearing this surname in the region of Westphalia, located in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Historically, the Rauchfuss name has been associated with various place names and localities within Germany. For instance, the town of Rauchfuss in the state of Bavaria has its name derived from this surname, suggesting that individuals bearing this name may have resided or held influence in this area during the Middle Ages.
Notable individuals with the Rauchfuss surname include Johann Rauchfuss (1580-1645), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Heinrich Rauchfuss (1665-1737), a renowned German artist and engraver whose works were highly acclaimed during the Baroque period.
In the 17th century, the Rauchfuss family established themselves in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Hans Rauchfuss (1620-1691), a prominent landowner and merchant, is recorded as having lived in the town of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) during this time.
Towards the end of the 18th century, a branch of the Rauchfuss family migrated to the United States, with one of the earliest known records being that of Wilhelm Rauchfuss (1765-1837), who settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Other notable individuals bearing the Rauchfuss surname include Karl Rauchfuss (1835-1905), a German author and philosopher, and Margarethe Rauchfuss (1888-1967), a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rauchfuss
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauchfuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rauchfuss 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 Rauchfuss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rauchfuss
Rauchfuss 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+10 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,041 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-10 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,041 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 6,287 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 Rauchfuss 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 | #149,395 | #155,682 | -4.2% |
| Count | 110 | 100 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rauchfuss bearers went from 110 to 100 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 6,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #155,682.
FAQ
Rauchfuss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rauchfuss?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Rauchfuss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Rauchfuss?
Rauchfuss ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Rauchfuss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rauchfuss.
Has Rauchfuss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rauchfuss went from 110 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Rauchfuss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauchfuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Rauchfuss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rauchfuss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Rauchfuss (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 Rauchfuss mean?
German surname indicating a smoky or fiery foot. 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 Rauchfuss (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Rauchfuss?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.