2000
#34,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 617
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Rathje
A German surname derived from the town of Rath.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 802 Americans carry the last name Rathje. That puts it at #34,822 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 427,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rathje 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
802
1 in 427,374
Census rank
#34,822
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
699
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 699 bearers of the surname Rathje in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34822nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rathje, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rathje
The surname Rathje has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Low German word "Rat," meaning council or advisor, and the suffix "-je," which was a common diminutive or nickname form used in Lower Saxony and Holstein.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rathje name can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city-state of Bremen in northern Germany, dating back to the 14th century. In these records, the name appears as "Ratghie" and is associated with individuals holding positions of authority or advisory roles within local councils or guilds.
The Rathje surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Lower Saxony, Holstein, and the surrounding areas. It is likely that the name originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who served as a council member or advisor, possibly in a municipal or guild setting.
Historically, the Rathje name has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Hans Rathje (1525-1592), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of Lutheranism in the city of Lübeck during the 16th century.
Another prominent bearer of the Rathje name was Johann Rathje (1791-1865), a German composer and conductor who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the Königsberg Cathedral in Prussia during the early 19th century.
In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Rathje settled in the town of Lauenburg in what is now Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. One of their descendants, Wilhelm Rathje (1801-1878), became a respected local historian and author, publishing several works on the history and folklore of the region.
The Rathje surname has also been found in historical records from other parts of northern Germany, such as the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Cord Rathje (1612-1673) was a prominent figure in the local trade guilds during the 17th century.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as "Rathje," "Rathjen," and "Rathjens," were not uncommon in earlier centuries, as standardized spellings were less strictly adhered to at the time. Additionally, the name may have been influenced by local place names or topographical features in some cases.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rathje
Among Census respondents with the surname Rathje, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rathje 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 Rathje surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 653
- Two or more races1.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 10
- Black or African American1.0% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rathje
Rathje 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
#33,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 672
+55 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 817 places
2020
#34,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 699
+27 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,673 | 617 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,856 | 672 | 0.23 | +55 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 817 places |
| 2020 | #34,822 | 699 | 0.23 | +27 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 966 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 Rathje 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 | #33,856 | #34,822 | -2.9% |
| Count | 672 | 699 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.23 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rathje bearers went from 672 to 699 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 966 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,856 to #34,822.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rathje
FAQ
Rathje surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rathje?
Name Census estimates that about 802 living Americans carry the surname Rathje. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 427,374 residents.
How common is Rathje?
Rathje ranks #34,822 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 699 people with the surname Rathje. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (802), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rathje.
Has Rathje become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rathje went from 672 recorded bearers to 699. That is an increase of 27 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,856 to #34,822.
What does the Census say about the background of Rathje?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rathje, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Rathje in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (653 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rathje appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Rathje (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 Rathje mean?
A German surname derived from the town of Rath. 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 Rathje (0.23 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 share the surname Rathje?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.