Explore the Family Name Rantanen

The meaning of Rantanen

Finnish: from ranta ‘shore’ (compare Ranta) + the surname suffix -nen. Adopted in the 19th century primarily by Finns without surnames either as a habitational name from farms named with this word or as an ornamental name (compare Virtanen). Some characteristic forenames: Finnish Pentti, Arvo, Eino, Esa, Mikko, Onni.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Rantanen in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Rantanen has slightly increased over a decade. In 2000, it was ranked 60,557 and rose to 59,324 in 2010, representing about a 2% increase in rank. The count of individuals with this surname also rose from 311 to 341 during the same period, marking an approximate 9.65% growth. However, in terms of proportion per 100,000 people, the figure remained stable at 0.12.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#60,557	#59,324	2.04%
Count	311	341	9.65%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.12	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rantanen

In terms of ethnicity, the census data reveals some shifts between 2000 and 2010. Most notably, there was a significant rise in American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals bearing the surname Rantanen, increasing by 82.38%. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also saw a rise, albeit from a base of zero to 2.64%. On the other hand, the percentage of individuals with this surname who identify as white decreased slightly by 1.3%, while those identifying as two or more races dropped by approximately 35%. The proportions for Hispanic and Black ethnic identities remained unchanged.

	2000	2010	Change
White	90.03%	88.86%	-1.3%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	1.93%	3.52%	82.38%
Two or More Races	4.5%	2.93%	-34.89%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	2.64%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%