Explore the Family Name Rather

The meaning of Rather

German: 1. occupational name for a counselor or nickname for a wise person, from Middle High German rāter ‘adviser’. 2. variant of Rathert. 3. (Räther): see Raether.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname 'Rather' has seen a rise in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 15,725 and by the end of the decade, it had climbed to rank 15,309, a change of approximately 2.65%. The count of individuals with this surname also increased from 1,705 in 2000 to 1,917 in 2010, reflecting an increase of 12.43%. The proportion per 100,000 people also rose slightly from 0.63 to 0.65, showing a 3.17% growth.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,725	#15,309	2.65%
Count	1,705	1,917	12.43%
Proportion per 100k	0.63	0.65	3.17%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rather

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname 'Rather', the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that there have been some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and those identifying with two or more races increased significantly, by 205.26% and 173.17% respectively. Those identifying as White remained the majority but experienced a slight decrease from 77.77% to 72.40%. Similarly, individuals identifying as Black also saw a minor decrease from 18.36% to 17.53%. The Hispanic population with this surname increased from 1.11% to 2.87%. The only group to experience a decline was the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, which decreased by 24.39% over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
White	77.77%	72.4%	-6.9%
Black	18.36%	17.53%	-4.52%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.52%	4.64%	205.26%
Hispanic	1.11%	2.87%	158.56%
Two or More Races	0.82%	2.24%	173.17%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.41%	0.31%	-24.39%