Raburn
From an English surname meaning "red stream" or "red brook".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Raburn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raburn today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raburn births was 1936 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raburn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Raburn is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Raburns were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Raburn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1936
9 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1947 SSA rank
#4,147
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Raburn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raburn from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 27 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Raburn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raburn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Raburn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raburn
The name Raburn is a variation of the Old English name Rayburn, which means "red stream" or "red brook." It is derived from the Old English words "read" meaning "red" and "burna" meaning "stream" or "brook." The name has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon culture of England, dating back to the 5th century AD.
The earliest recorded use of the name Raburn can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a census conducted in 1086 AD by William the Conqueror. It lists several individuals with the name, including Rayburne de Wiltune and Rayburne de Hamtune. These individuals were likely landowners or tenants in the counties of Wiltshire and Hampshire, respectively.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Raburn was Sir Raburn de Wilton, a 13th-century English knight who fought in the Third Crusade alongside Richard the Lionheart. He was mentioned in several historical accounts of the time for his bravery and military exploits.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Raburn Fitz-Walter was a member of the English gentry and held lands in Berkshire. He was mentioned in several legal documents and land records from that period.
During the 16th century, there was a prominent English playwright and poet named Raburn Greene (1558-1592). He is best known for his plays "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay" and "The Honorable History of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay."
Another notable figure with the name Raburn was Sir Raburn Walpole (1676-1745), a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1721 to 1742. He is regarded as one of the first prime ministers in the modern sense and played a significant role in establishing the foundations of the British parliamentary system.
While the name Raburn has fallen out of common usage in modern times, it has a rich historical significance and is deeply rooted in the Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It reflects the connection between people and the natural environment, specifically the red-colored streams and brooks that were prevalent in the region.
People
Raburn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raburn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Raburn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raburn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raburn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Raburn a common name?
We classify Raburn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raburn most popular?
The single biggest year for Raburn was 1936, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raburn is about 86 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Raburn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raburn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raburn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Raburn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raburn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Raburn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Raburn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.