2000
#1,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.55
Uncommon Last name
Raines
Derived from a place name or from the Old English word "regen," meaning "rain" or "downpour."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,901 Americans carry the last name Raines. That puts it at #1,754 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,967 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raines 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 Raines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,967
Census rank
#1,754
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,971 bearers of the surname Raines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1754th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raines, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raines
The surname Raines originates from the Old French word "raine", meaning a frog. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in England during the late 12th century, likely referring to an occupation or relating to a place name associated with frogs or a marshy area.
Raines was first recorded as a surname in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1191, when a Robert de Raines was mentioned. Another early record is found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1206, where a Willelmus de Raines is listed.
The name may also be derived from the Old French "regne", meaning kingdom or reign, suggesting a possible connection to someone in service to a royal household or a place name related to a sovereign's domain.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a Henry de Raines is recorded in Oxfordshire. The Raines surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1327, with a John de Raynes listed.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Raines surname was Sir John Raines (c. 1438-1505), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1486. He was a prominent figure in the city's affairs and a benefactor to several churches and charitable institutions.
Another historical figure was William Raines (1567-1638), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1629 until his death. He was known for his work on the history of the English Church.
In the 17th century, Francis Raines (1609-1675) was an English lawyer and antiquarian, known for his collection of manuscripts and his scholarly work on English history and genealogy.
Robert Raines (1765-1827) was a notable English engraver and painter who was particularly skilled in portraiture and landscapes. His works were exhibited at the Royal Academy and are held in various collections.
Lastly, Juliana Horatia Ewing (née Gatty) (1841-1885), better known by her married name Juliana Horatia Ewing, was a renowned English writer and novelist, best known for her children's stories and books, including "Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances" and "Jackanapes".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raines
Among Census respondents with the surname Raines, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Raines 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 Raines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 15,362
- Black or African American13.7% · 2,743
- Two or more races4.9% · 981
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 620
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 123
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raines
Raines 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
#1,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,518
+1,145 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 7.29
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,971
-1,547 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 6.68
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,614 | 20,373 | 7.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,676 | 21,518 | 7.29 | +1,145 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,754 | 19,971 | 6.68 | -1,547 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 78 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 Raines 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 | #1,676 | #1,754 | -4.7% |
| Count | 21,518 | 19,971 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.29 | 6.68 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raines bearers went from 21,518 to 19,971 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,676 to #1,754.
FAQ
Raines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raines?
Name Census estimates that about 22,901 living Americans carry the surname Raines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,967 residents.
How common is Raines?
Raines ranks #1,754 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,971 people with the surname Raines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Raines.
Has Raines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raines went from 21,518 recorded bearers to 19,971. That is a decrease of 1,547 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,676 to #1,754.
What does the Census say about the background of Raines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raines, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Raines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (15,362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (13.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Raines (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 Raines mean?
Derived from a place name or from the Old English word "regen," meaning "rain" or "downpour." 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 Raines (6.68 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 Raines?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.