2000
#12,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Rawlinson
Derived from a place name meaning "Rawlin's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Rawlin or Ralph.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,598 Americans carry the last name Rawlinson. That puts it at #12,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rawlinson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rawlinson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,930
Census rank
#12,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,266 bearers of the surname Rawlinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawlinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rawlinson
The surname Rawlinson has its origins in England, and it can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "raha" and "wynn," which together mean "meadow of the roe deer." This suggests that the name may have initially been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a meadow where roe deer were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where it appears as "Rawlinsonus." This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 12th or early 13th century.
The Rawlinson surname is also mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "Rawlynson." This document provides valuable insights into the distribution of the name during the medieval period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Rawlinson surname was John Rawlinson (c. 1520–1580), an English legal writer and judge. He was known for his work on the statute laws of England and served as Chief Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Rawlinson (1647–1722), an English bibliophile and collector of manuscripts. He amassed a vast collection of books, manuscripts, and antiquities, which he bequeathed to the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford upon his death.
In the 18th century, Richard Rawlinson (1690–1755) was an English clergyman, antiquarian, and topographer. He served as a canon of St. Paul's Cathedral and was known for his extensive collection of manuscripts and books, which he donated to the University of Oxford.
Moving into the 19th century, Sir Christopher Rawlinson (1809–1888) was a British civil engineer and military officer. He made significant contributions to the development of water supply and sanitation systems in India and played a crucial role in the construction of the Ganges Canal.
Lastly, Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (1810–1895) was a renowned British diplomat, soldier, and Assyrian scholar. He was instrumental in the decipherment of cuneiform inscriptions and made numerous contributions to the study of ancient Mesopotamian history and culture.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the Rawlinson surname, which has its roots in the English countryside and has been associated with various fields, including law, academia, engineering, and archaeology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rawlinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawlinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rawlinson 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 Rawlinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 1,684
- Black or African American15.7% · 355
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 127
- Two or more races3.2% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rawlinson
Rawlinson 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
#12,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,362
+90 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 492 places
2020
#12,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,266
-96 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,507 | 2,272 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,999 | 2,362 | 0.80 | +90 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 492 places |
| 2020 | #12,959 | 2,266 | 0.76 | -96 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 40 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 Rawlinson 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 | #12,999 | #12,959 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,362 | 2,266 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.76 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rawlinson bearers went from 2,362 to 2,266 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,999 to #12,959.
FAQ
Rawlinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rawlinson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,598 living Americans carry the surname Rawlinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,930 residents.
How common is Rawlinson?
Rawlinson ranks #12,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,266 people with the surname Rawlinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,598), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Rawlinson.
Has Rawlinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rawlinson went from 2,362 recorded bearers to 2,266. That is a decrease of 96 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,999 to #12,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Rawlinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawlinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Rawlinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (1,684 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rawlinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (15.7%), Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Rawlinson (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 Rawlinson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Rawlin's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Rawlin or Ralph. 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 Rawlinson (0.76 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 Rawlinson?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Rawlinson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.