Find out how popular the last name Rawlins is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rawlins.

Rawlins, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rawlins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rawlins in America

Rawlins is the 5305th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rawlins surname appeared 6,566 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Rawlins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rawlins to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rawlins

The surname Rawlins is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Rāwlīn," which is a diminutive of the Germanic name "Radulf" or "Raoul." The name Radulf itself is composed of the elements "rad" (meaning counsel or advice) and "wulf" (meaning wolf).

One of the earliest known references to the Rawlins surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William Raulyn is recorded in Oxfordshire. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, which mentions a John Raulyn.

The surname Rawlins may also have connections to certain place names in England, such as Rawlinson in Lancashire, which was recorded as "Raulundesun" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This place name is likely derived from an Old English personal name and the word "tun" (meaning settlement or enclosure).

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Rawlins was John Rawlins (c. 1330-1406), a English theologian and academic who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1395 to 1398.

In the 16th century, Sir Walter Rawlins (c. 1535-1593) was a prominent English sailor and explorer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his famous circumnavigation of the world from 1577 to 1580.

Another notable bearer of the Rawlins surname was Thomas Rawlins (1620-1670), an English Puritan clergyman and author who was a member of the Westminster Assembly and served as the principal of St. Alban Hall, Oxford.

During the 17th century, John Rawlins (1642-1686) was an English Baptist minister and writer who published several works on theology and religious controversies.

In the 18th century, William Rawlins (1727-1796) was a British naval officer and explorer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy and conducted surveys and explorations in the South Pacific and along the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.

While the surname Rawlins has a long history in England, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the majority of its historical roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to its English origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rawlins

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rawlins.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rawlins was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rawlins has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rawlins was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rawlins, please contact us.

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