Raeburn
A Scottish surname originating as a place name indicating a stream or burn.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Raeburn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raeburn today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raeburn births was 1930 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raeburn. 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 Raeburn is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Raeburns were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Raeburn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1930
8 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1938 SSA rank
#3,104
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Raeburn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raeburn from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 20 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raeburn 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 Raeburn 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 Raeburn
The given name Raeburn is of Scottish origin, originating from the Scottish Lowlands in the late Middle Ages. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Raeburn, located in the historic county of Renfrewshire. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "ra" meaning roe deer and "burna" meaning a stream or brook, suggesting a meaning of "stream frequented by deer."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Raeburn can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Among the names listed is "Willelmus de Raburne," believed to be an early variant spelling of the name.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the Scottish portrait painter Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), widely regarded as one of the most significant British artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His celebrated works include portraits of prominent figures such as Sir Walter Scott and Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns.
Another notable figure bearing the name Raeburn was Sir Michael Raeburn (1889-1964), a British naval officer who served as the Governor of Malta from 1949 to 1953. He played a crucial role in maintaining stability in the aftermath of World War II and during the early years of Malta's transition towards self-governance.
In the field of literature, the name Raeburn is associated with the American author and journalist Ben Raeburn (1876-1940), best known for his novel "The Dreadful Night" and his work as a war correspondent during World War I.
The name Raeburn has also been carried by several athletes, including the Scottish footballer Raeburn Christie (1900-1984), who played for various clubs in the early 20th century, and the New Zealand cricketer Raeburn Munro (1891-1958), who represented the national team in the 1920s.
While the name Raeburn has its roots in Scotland and has been primarily associated with Scottish and British culture, it has gained recognition and usage in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries with historical ties to the United Kingdom.
People
Raeburn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raeburn 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
Raeburn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raeburn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raeburn 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Raeburn a common name?
We classify Raeburn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 42 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raeburn most popular?
The single biggest year for Raeburn was 1930, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raeburn is about 90 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 Raeburn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raeburn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raeburn 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 Raeburn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raeburn 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 Raeburn 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 many people have Raeburn as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Raeburn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.