2000
#4,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.97
Rare Last name
Rausch
An occupational surname referring to someone who made a rushing sound, possibly a seller of alcoholic beverages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,102 Americans carry the last name Rausch. That puts it at #4,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,657 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rausch 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
9.1K
1 in 37,657
Census rank
#4,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,937 bearers of the surname Rausch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rausch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rausch
The surname Rausch is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old High German word "rousc," which means "rushing" or "roaring," likely referring to the sound of a rapidly flowing stream or river.
The name was first recorded in the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, where it was often associated with individuals living near such water sources. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Rausch, a landowner mentioned in a document from the town of Regensburg in 1287.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Rausch name appeared in various records and manuscripts across southern Germany, with slight variations in spelling, such as Rausche, Rausch, and Rauschel. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal preferences.
In the 14th century, the name was also found in the Domesday Book, a record of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in England. This suggests that some bearers of the name may have migrated from Germany to England during that period.
One notable figure with the surname Rausch was Johann Rausch, a German architect and stonemason born in Nuremberg in 1477. He is credited with designing several influential Renaissance-style buildings in his hometown, including the Hirsvogelsaal and the Rathausbrunnen.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Johann Nepomuk Rausch, a German composer and organist born in Bohemia in 1748. He composed numerous sacred works and served as the court organist for the Prince-Bishop of Freising.
In the 19th century, the Rausch name gained further recognition with the birth of Friedrich Rausch (1880-1945), a German army officer and World War I veteran who later became a prominent figure in the Nazi Party's paramilitary organization, the Sturmabteilung (SA).
Alongside these historical figures, the name Rausch has been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Rauschenberg, a town in the state of Hesse, and Rauschenberg Castle, a medieval fortress located in the same region.
Overall, the surname Rausch has a rich history rooted in the German language and culture, with connections to both rural and urban settings, as well as notable individuals from various fields, including architecture, music, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rausch
Among Census respondents with the surname Rausch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rausch 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 Rausch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 7,433
- Two or more races2.7% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 60
- Black or African American0.3% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rausch
Rausch 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
#4,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,398
+384 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#4,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,937
-461 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,092 | 8,014 | 2.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,224 | 8,398 | 2.85 | +384 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #4,326 | 7,937 | 2.66 | -461 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 102 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 Rausch 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 | #4,224 | #4,326 | -2.4% |
| Count | 8,398 | 7,937 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.85 | 2.66 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rausch bearers went from 8,398 to 7,937 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,224 to #4,326.
FAQ
Rausch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rausch?
Name Census estimates that about 9,102 living Americans carry the surname Rausch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,657 residents.
How common is Rausch?
Rausch ranks #4,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 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 7,937 people with the surname Rausch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 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 Rausch.
Has Rausch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rausch went from 8,398 recorded bearers to 7,937. That is a decrease of 461 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,224 to #4,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Rausch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rausch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Rausch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (7,433 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rausch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Rausch (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 Rausch mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made a rushing sound, possibly a seller of alcoholic beverages. 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 Rausch (2.66 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 share the surname Rausch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.