2000
#72,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Rattay
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in the Czech Republic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 303 Americans carry the last name Rattay. That puts it at #78,145 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,131,202 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rattay 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
303
1 in 1,131,202
Census rank
#78,145
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
264
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 264 bearers of the surname Rattay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 78145th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rattay, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rattay
The surname Rattay is of Czech origin, originating from the region of Bohemia in the present-day Czech Republic. It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 13th or 14th century.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Rattay can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia, dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Czech word "rataj," which means "farmer" or "ploughman," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname were likely involved in agricultural pursuits.
The name Rattay is also closely associated with the town of Rataje nad Sázavou, located in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. This town's name, which shares a similar root with the surname, further reinforces the connection between the name and its agricultural origins.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Rattay was Jan Rattay, a prominent Czech philosopher and theologian who lived in the 15th century (c. 1400-1454). He played a significant role in the Hussite movement, a pre-Protestant Christian movement that challenged the authority of the Roman Catholic Church in Bohemia.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Rattay was Václav Rattay (1679-1750), a Czech painter and engraver who was active during the Baroque period. His works can be found in various churches and monasteries throughout the Czech Republic.
In the 19th century, František Rattay (1805-1883) was a Czech writer and journalist who made significant contributions to the development of Czech literature and journalism. He played an important role in the Czech National Revival movement, which aimed to revive and promote the Czech language and culture.
One of the most prominent figures with the surname Rattay in more recent history was Jaroslav Rattay (1905-1990), a Czech film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the 1930s and 1940s, including the films "Cesta do hlubin študákovy duše" (1939) and "Panna" (1940).
Finally, it is worth mentioning Radim Rattay (born 1991), a Czech professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Dynamo Pardubice team in the Czech Extraliga league.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rattay
Among Census respondents with the surname Rattay, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rattay 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 Rattay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 226
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 23
- Two or more races3.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 5
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rattay
Rattay 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
#69,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 283
+31 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 2,630 places
2020
#78,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264
-19 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 8,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,022 | 252 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69,392 | 283 | 0.10 | +31 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 2,630 places |
| 2020 | #78,145 | 264 | 0.09 | -19 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,753 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 Rattay 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 | #69,392 | #78,145 | -12.6% |
| Count | 283 | 264 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rattay bearers went from 283 to 264 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #69,392 to #78,145.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rattay
FAQ
Rattay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rattay?
Name Census estimates that about 303 living Americans carry the surname Rattay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,131,202 residents.
How common is Rattay?
Rattay ranks #78,145 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 264 people with the surname Rattay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Rattay.
Has Rattay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rattay went from 283 recorded bearers to 264. That is a decrease of 19 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #69,392 to #78,145.
What does the Census say about the background of Rattay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rattay, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Rattay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rattay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Hispanic (8.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Rattay (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 Rattay mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in the Czech Republic. 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 Rattay (0.09 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 common is the surname Rattay?
See how many people have the surname Rattay on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.