2000
#79,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Rawa
A Polish surname derived from the Slavic word "rawa" meaning a marsh or swamp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 237 Americans carry the last name Rawa. That puts it at #94,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,446,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rawa 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
237
1 in 1,446,221
Census rank
#94,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
207
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 207 bearers of the surname Rawa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 94713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawa, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rawa
The surname RAWA has its origins traced back to the region of Silesia, which is now located in southwestern Poland. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. The name RAWA is thought to be derived from a Slavic word that referred to a specific type of wetland or marshland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RAWA can be found in a document from the town of Rawicz, located in the modern-day Greater Poland Voivodeship, dated around 1420. This document mentions a landowner named Jan Rawa, suggesting that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family bearing the RAWA surname living in the village of Rawałowice, near the city of Wrocław (formerly known as Breslau). It is possible that this village's name, which resembles the surname, may have contributed to its adoption by the family.
Throughout the subsequent centuries, the RAWA surname appeared in various historical records and documents across Silesia and other parts of Poland. One notable individual was Maciej Rawa, a renowned sculptor and woodcarver who lived in the 17th century and created intricate altars and religious artifacts for churches throughout the region.
Another prominent figure was Józef Rawa, a military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of colonel in the Polish Army. He was born in 1785 and died in 1842, having been awarded several honors for his service and bravery during the campaigns against the French Empire.
In the 19th century, a family of RAWA landowners gained prominence in the town of Rawicz, where they owned substantial estates and played an active role in local affairs. One member of this family, Ignacy Rawa (1820-1892), was a respected philanthropist and patron of the arts, known for his support of cultural institutions and educational initiatives.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the RAWA surname also appeared in records from other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and the spread of Polish communities. For instance, there are records of a family with the RAWA surname residing in the city of Dresden, Germany, during the late 1800s.
Overall, the surname RAWA has a rich history rooted in the Silesian region of Poland, with its origins potentially dating back to the Middle Ages. While its exact etymology remains uncertain, the name has been borne by individuals from diverse walks of life, including artists, military figures, landowners, and philanthropists, throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rawa
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawa, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rawa 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 Rawa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 190
- Two or more races3.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rawa
Rawa 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
#89,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
-14 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 9,445 places
2020
#94,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,958 | 221 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,403 | 207 | 0.07 | -14 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 9,445 places |
| 2020 | #94,713 | 207 | 0.07 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,310 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 Rawa 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 | #89,403 | #94,713 | -5.9% |
| Count | 207 | 207 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rawa bearers went from 207 to 207 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,403 to #94,713.
FAQ
Rawa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rawa?
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the surname Rawa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,446,221 residents.
How common is Rawa?
Rawa ranks #94,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 207 people with the surname Rawa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Rawa.
Has Rawa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rawa went from 207 recorded bearers to 207. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,403 to #94,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Rawa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawa, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Rawa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rawa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Rawa (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 Rawa mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Slavic word "rawa" meaning a marsh or swamp. 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 Rawa (0.07 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 Rawa?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Rawa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.