2000
#51,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Rawski
A Polish surname referring to a person from the Rawicz region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 384 Americans carry the last name Rawski. That puts it at #64,212 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 892,589 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rawski 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
384
1 in 892,589
Census rank
#64,212
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
335
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 335 bearers of the surname Rawski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64212th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rawski
The surname Rawski is of Polish origin and traces its roots back to the late 15th century. It emerged in the region of Lesser Poland, particularly around the towns of Cracow and Lublin. The name is believed to have evolved from the Polish word "rawski," which means "coming from Rawy" or "originating from Rawy."
Historical records indicate that the name Rawski first appeared in the tax registers of the Polish nobility in the late 1400s. Some of the earliest documented instances include Jan Rawski, a landowner from the village of Rawy Mazowiecka, mentioned in a 1487 land deed.
In the 16th century, the name Rawski gained prominence among the Polish gentry and aristocracy. Notably, Piotr Rawski, a nobleman born in 1532, served as a military commander during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's conflicts with the Crimean Khanate.
The Rawski name can be found in various historical manuscripts and chronicles, such as the "Acta Tomiciana," a collection of diplomatic documents from the reign of King Sigismund I the Old (1467-1548). This suggests that the Rawski family held positions of influence during that era.
One of the most renowned individuals bearing the Rawski surname was Andrzej Rawski (1595-1672), a Polish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Polish-Swedish War (1655-1660). He is celebrated for his heroic defense of the city of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine) against the Swedish forces.
Another notable figure was Kazimierz Rawski (1618-1690), a prominent Polish diplomat and statesman who served as a royal envoy to various European courts, including those of France and the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 18th century, the Rawski family continued to maintain their nobility status, and their name appeared in various genealogical records and land registries. Michał Rawski (1715-1782), a landowner and military officer, fought in the campaigns against the Ottoman Empire during the reign of King Augustus III.
As the centuries progressed, the Rawski surname spread beyond Poland and can be found in various regions of Europe and the Americas, often retaining its Polish roots and associations with the town of Rawy Mazowiecka.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rawski
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rawski 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 Rawski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 311
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 11
- Two or more races2.7% · 9
- Black or African American1.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rawski
Rawski 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
#55,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 366
-14 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 4,504 places
2020
#64,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 335
-31 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 8,250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,458 | 380 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #55,962 | 366 | 0.12 | -14 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 4,504 places |
| 2020 | #64,212 | 335 | 0.11 | -31 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 8,250 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 Rawski 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 | #55,962 | #64,212 | -14.7% |
| Count | 366 | 335 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rawski bearers went from 366 to 335 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 8,250 positions in the national ranking, going from #55,962 to #64,212.
FAQ
Rawski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rawski?
Name Census estimates that about 384 living Americans carry the surname Rawski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 892,589 residents.
How common is Rawski?
Rawski ranks #64,212 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 335 people with the surname Rawski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Rawski.
Has Rawski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rawski went from 366 recorded bearers to 335. That is a decrease of 31 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #55,962 to #64,212.
What does the Census say about the background of Rawski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Rawski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rawski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Rawski (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 Rawski mean?
A Polish surname referring to a person from the Rawicz region. 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 Rawski (0.11 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 Rawski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Rawski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.