2000
#6,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Raab
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Hebrew word "rav," meaning "rabbi" or "teacher."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,604 Americans carry the last name Raab. That puts it at #6,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raab 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
5.6K
1 in 61,162
Census rank
#6,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,887 bearers of the surname Raab in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raab, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raab
The surname RAAB is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "rap" or "rabe," meaning "raven" or "crow." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion, resembling the plumage of a raven.
In the 17th century, the name RAAB appeared in various German records, including church registers and tax rolls, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Raab, a scholar and theologian born in Nuremberg in 1592, who authored several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Altdorf.
The name RAAB is also linked to certain place names in Germany, such as Raab, a village in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and Raab, a town in the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen in Thuringia. These place names may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname in their respective regions.
In the 18th century, Johann Jakob Raab (1717-1779), a German painter and engraver, gained recognition for his portraits and religious works, which can be found in various churches and museums across Germany. Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Leonhard Raab (1736-1810), a German botanist and professor at the University of Erlangen, who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
During the 19th century, the name RAAB continued to be prominent in German-speaking regions. One prominent figure was Gustav Raab (1823-1888), a German politician and journalist who served as a member of the Reichstag and actively advocated for workers' rights and social reforms.
In the field of science, Karl Raab (1834-1899) was a German physicist and engineer who pioneered the development of electrical lighting systems and contributed to the early work on electric motors and generators.
While the surname RAAB has its roots in Germany, it has also been adopted and spread to other parts of Europe and beyond due to migration patterns throughout history. Individuals bearing this name can be found in various countries today, with the name reflecting its rich German heritage and linguistic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raab
Among Census respondents with the surname Raab, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Raab 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 Raab surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 4,476
- Two or more races3.4% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 45
- Black or African American0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raab
Raab 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
#6,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,208
+239 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#6,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,887
-321 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,312 | 4,969 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,514 | 5,208 | 1.77 | +239 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #6,640 | 4,887 | 1.64 | -321 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 126 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 Raab 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 | #6,514 | #6,640 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,208 | 4,887 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.64 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raab bearers went from 5,208 to 4,887 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,514 to #6,640.
FAQ
Raab surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raab?
Name Census estimates that about 5,604 living Americans carry the surname Raab. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,162 residents.
How common is Raab?
Raab ranks #6,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 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 4,887 people with the surname Raab. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,604), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 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 Raab.
Has Raab become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raab went from 5,208 recorded bearers to 4,887. That is a decrease of 321 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,514 to #6,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Raab?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raab, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Raab in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (4,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raab appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Raab (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 Raab mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Hebrew word "rav," meaning "rabbi" or "teacher." 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 Raab (1.64 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 Americans have the surname Raab?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.