2000
#12,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Rauscher
An occupational surname referring to a person who made a loud noise or disturbance, possibly a night watchman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,272 Americans carry the last name Rauscher. That puts it at #14,485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,860 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rauscher 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
2.3K
1 in 150,860
Census rank
#14,485
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,981 bearers of the surname Rauscher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rauscher
The surname Rauscher has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "rauschen," which means "to rustle" or "to murmur," likely referring to the sound of running water or wind through trees.
Rauscher is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who lived near a stream, river, or in a wooded area where the sound of rustling leaves or water was prominent. This type of naming convention was common in medieval times, as surnames were often based on physical characteristics, occupations, or geographic locations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rauscher can be found in the 14th century, in a document from the city of Nuremberg. In this record, a man named Hans Rauscher is mentioned as a landowner and member of the local guild.
In the 16th century, the name Rauscher appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including the town of Rauschenburg, which may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the surname in certain areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Rauscher throughout history include Johann Rauscher (1797-1876), an Austrian composer and conductor who served as the Kapellmeister at the Stephansdom in Vienna. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Rauscher (1823-1892), a German theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on the relationship between faith and reason.
In the 19th century, the name Rauscher can be found in connection with various place names, such as Rauschermühle (literally "Rauscher's mill"), a former village in present-day Poland. Additionally, the surname is associated with the town of Rauschenberg in Hesse, Germany, which may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the name in that region.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rauscher include Josef Rauscher (1858-1922), an Austrian painter known for his landscape and genre scenes, and Ulrich Rauscher (1905-1983), a German philosopher and academic who specialized in phenomenology and existentialism.
During the 20th century, the name Rauscher continued to be prevalent in German-speaking countries, as well as in areas with significant German immigration, such as the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rauscher
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rauscher 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 Rauscher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,826
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 72
- Two or more races2.9% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rauscher
Rauscher 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
#13,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,310
-51 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,114 places
2020
#14,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,981
-329 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,112 | 2,361 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,226 | 2,310 | 0.78 | -51 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 1,114 places |
| 2020 | #14,485 | 1,981 | 0.66 | -329 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 1,259 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 Rauscher 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 | #13,226 | #14,485 | -9.5% |
| Count | 2,310 | 1,981 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.66 | -15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rauscher bearers went from 2,310 to 1,981 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 1,259 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,226 to #14,485.
FAQ
Rauscher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rauscher?
Name Census estimates that about 2,272 living Americans carry the surname Rauscher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,860 residents.
How common is Rauscher?
Rauscher ranks #14,485 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,981 people with the surname Rauscher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rauscher.
Has Rauscher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rauscher went from 2,310 recorded bearers to 1,981. That is a decrease of 329 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,226 to #14,485.
What does the Census say about the background of Rauscher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rauscher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,826 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rauscher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rauscher (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 Rauscher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made a loud noise or disturbance, possibly a night watchman. 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 Rauscher (0.66 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 common is the surname Rauscher?
You can see how many people are called Rauscher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.