2000
#10,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Traub
A German occupational surname referring to the maker or seller of grape juice, must, or wine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,877 Americans carry the last name Traub. That puts it at #11,922 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Traub 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
2.9K
1 in 119,136
Census rank
#11,922
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,509 bearers of the surname Traub in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11922nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Traub, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Traub
The surname TRAUB has its origins in Germany, specifically in the southern regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name TRAUB is derived from the German word "Traube," which means "grape" or "bunch of grapes." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been individuals involved in the cultivation of grapes or the production of wine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TRAUB can be found in the Swabian town of Esslingen, where a certain Conrad Traub was mentioned in a document dated 1335. This document was part of the municipal archives, indicating that the Traub family had established roots in the region during that time.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Johannes Traub, a scholar and theologian born in Worms, Germany, in 1491. He studied at the University of Heidelberg and later became a professor at the University of Tübingen, where he taught theology and Hebrew.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Traub family settled in the town of Weinsberg, which was renowned for its vineyards and wine production. It is likely that the family's association with the grape-growing industry played a role in their adoption of the surname.
During the 17th century, a prominent member of the Traub family was Johann Philipp Traub, a German composer and organist born in Esslingen in 1640. He composed several sacred works and served as the organist at the Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) in Heidelberg.
Another notable figure was Johann Georg Traub, a German naturalist and botanist who lived from 1677 to 1742. He was born in Kreichenbach, near Villingen, and made significant contributions to the study of plant life, particularly in the Black Forest region.
In the 19th century, a distinguished member of the Traub family was Johann Baptist Traub, a German-American architect born in Wurzburg, Germany, in 1830. He emigrated to the United States and designed several notable buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio, including the St. Francis de Sales Church and the Old Main Library.
While the surname TRAUB has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its origins remain firmly tied to the grape-growing and wine-making traditions of southern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Traub
Among Census respondents with the surname Traub, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Traub 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 Traub surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,286
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 98
- Two or more races2.7% · 68
- Black or African American1.1% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Traub
Traub 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
#11,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,638
-37 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 953 places
2020
#11,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,509
-129 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,917 | 2,675 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,870 | 2,638 | 0.89 | -37 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 953 places |
| 2020 | #11,922 | 2,509 | 0.84 | -129 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 52 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 Traub 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 | #11,870 | #11,922 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,638 | 2,509 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.84 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Traub bearers went from 2,638 to 2,509 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,870 to #11,922.
FAQ
Traub surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Traub?
Name Census estimates that about 2,877 living Americans carry the surname Traub. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,136 residents.
How common is Traub?
Traub ranks #11,922 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,509 people with the surname Traub. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,877), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Traub.
Has Traub become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Traub went from 2,638 recorded bearers to 2,509. That is a decrease of 129 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,870 to #11,922.
What does the Census say about the background of Traub?
Among Census respondents with the surname Traub, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) 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 Traub in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Traub appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), 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 Traub (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 Traub mean?
A German occupational surname referring to the maker or seller of grape juice, must, or wine. 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 Traub (0.84 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 surname Traub?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.