2000
#5,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,340
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Rawson
A locational surname referring to someone from the village of Rawson in Yorkshire, England, derived from Old Norse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,059 Americans carry the last name Rawson. That puts it at #5,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,556 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rawson 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 Rawson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,556
Census rank
#5,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,156 bearers of the surname Rawson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rawson
The surname Rawson originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ra" meaning "roe deer" and "son" meaning "son of," suggesting that the name may have originally been given to someone who was a hunter or poacher of roe deer.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1176, where a certain Ralph Rawson is mentioned. This record suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late 12th century.
During the medieval period, the name Rawson appeared in various spellings, including Raweson, Raueson, and Raweson. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
In the 13th century, the Rawson family established themselves as landowners in the county of Yorkshire, where they held estates in the village of Rawson near Calverley. The name of the village itself is thought to be derived from the family name, further reinforcing their connection to the area.
Notable individuals bearing the Rawson surname include Sir Rawson Hart Boddam (1585-1658), an English military officer who served in the English Civil War, and Sir William Rawson (1598-1667), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Andover.
In the 17th century, the Rawson family also had a presence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded Rawsons in America was Edward Rawson (1615-1693), who served as the Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1650 to 1686.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Rawson (1838-1923), a British civil servant who served as the Lieutenant Governor of the North-Western Provinces in British India from 1887 to 1892.
Throughout the centuries, the Rawson name has been carried by various individuals, including authors, academics, and military personnel, further contributing to the rich history and diversity associated with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rawson
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rawson 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 Rawson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 5,595
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 233
- Two or more races2.9% · 177
- Black or African American1.2% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rawson
Rawson 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
#5,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,395
+55 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 366 places
2020
#5,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,156
-239 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,076 | 6,340 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,442 | 6,395 | 2.17 | +55 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 366 places |
| 2020 | #5,462 | 6,156 | 2.06 | -239 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 20 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 Rawson 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 | #5,442 | #5,462 | -0.4% |
| Count | 6,395 | 6,156 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.06 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rawson bearers went from 6,395 to 6,156 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,442 to #5,462.
FAQ
Rawson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rawson?
Name Census estimates that about 7,059 living Americans carry the surname Rawson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,556 residents.
How common is Rawson?
Rawson ranks #5,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,156 people with the surname Rawson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,059), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rawson.
Has Rawson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rawson went from 6,395 recorded bearers to 6,156. That is a decrease of 239 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,442 to #5,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Rawson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rawson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (5,595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rawson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rawson (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 Rawson mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the village of Rawson in Yorkshire, England, derived from Old Norse. 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 Rawson (2.06 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 share the surname Rawson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.