2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rauter
A locational surname derived from a German topographic name for someone living near a clearing or open area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Rauter. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rauter 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Rauter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rauter
The surname Rauter has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old High German word "rouwen," which means "to clear land." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a forester or a land surveyor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rauter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. In this collection, a certain "Johannes Rauter" is mentioned in a document dated 1284.
The name Rauter also appears in several other historical records, such as the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Hildesheim, a collection of documents from the city of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony. Here, a "Henricus Rauter" is mentioned in a document from 1312.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Rauter spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the region of Württemberg, a "Hans Rauter" is mentioned in a document dated 1427.
One notable individual with the surname Rauter was Johann Rauter, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (c. 1670-1738). He was born in Nuremberg and served as the organist at the St. Sebaldus Church in his hometown.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Rauter (1842-1912), a German architect who designed several important buildings in Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek and the Neue Pinakothek museums.
In the 19th century, the name Rauter also appeared in various parts of Austria. For example, a certain "Josef Rauter" is mentioned in the Oberösterreichisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the region of Upper Austria, in a document dated 1826.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rauter include Hans Rauter (1870-1943), an Austrian architect who designed several buildings in Vienna, and Ernst Rauter (1889-1937), a German writer and journalist who was active in the early 20th century.
While the name Rauter has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and other historical events. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to this surname can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the areas of Saxony, Württemberg, and Bavaria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rauter
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rauter 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 Rauter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rauter
Rauter 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-16 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,475 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 23,475 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,588 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 Rauter 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 | #148,347 | #150,935 | -1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 108 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rauter bearers went from 111 to 108 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,588 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #150,935.
FAQ
Rauter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rauter?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Rauter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Rauter?
Rauter ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Rauter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rauter.
Has Rauter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rauter went from 111 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Rauter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rauter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Rauter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rauter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Rauter (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 Rauter mean?
A locational surname derived from a German topographic name for someone living near a clearing or open area. 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 Rauter (0.04 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 have the last name Rauter?
Want to know how common the surname Rauter is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.