2000
#38,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 543
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Rubbo
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "rubeus" meaning red or ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 647 Americans carry the last name Rubbo. That puts it at #41,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 529,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rubbo 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
647
1 in 529,759
Census rank
#41,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
564
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 564 bearers of the surname Rubbo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rubbo
The surname RUBBO is of Italian origin, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Apulia, located in southern Italy, where it likely derived from the Latin word "rubeus," meaning red or ruddy. This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RUBBO surname can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 12th century. This manuscript mentions a certain "Rubbo de Rubbo," indicating that the name was present in the area during that time.
The name also appears in the "Catalogo dei Feudi e dei Feudatari delle Provincie Napoletane," a catalog of feudal lands and landowners in the Kingdom of Naples, compiled in the 16th century. This document lists several individuals with the RUBBO surname, suggesting that the family had established itself as landowners in the region by that period.
One notable bearer of the RUBBO name was Francesco Rubbo (1578-1648), a renowned jurist and legal scholar from Bari. He authored several influential works on civil and canon law, including "Tractatus de Beneficiis Ecclesiasticis" and "Decisiones Sacri Regii Consilii Neapolitani."
Another prominent figure was Nicola Rubbo (1749-1823), a Neapolitan painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. Some of his most renowned paintings can be found in churches and galleries across southern Italy.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Rubbo (1820-1891) was a notable Italian politician and journalist. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was actively involved in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification and independence.
The RUBBO surname can also be traced to various place names in southern Italy, such as Rubbio, a town in the province of Cosenza, and Rubbo, a hamlet in the province of Bari. These locations likely derived their names from the same Latin root, further solidifying the connection between the surname and the region.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Rubbo, Rubo, and Rubbo, were common in historical records, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings during those times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rubbo
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rubbo 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 Rubbo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 494
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 35
- Two or more races4.6% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rubbo
Rubbo 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
#39,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 554
+11 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 1,339 places
2020
#41,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 564
+10 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 1,922 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,320 | 543 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,659 | 554 | 0.19 | +11 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 1,339 places |
| 2020 | #41,581 | 564 | 0.19 | +10 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 1,922 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 Rubbo 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 | #39,659 | #41,581 | -4.8% |
| Count | 554 | 564 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rubbo bearers went from 554 to 564 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,922 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,659 to #41,581.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rubbo
FAQ
Rubbo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rubbo?
Name Census estimates that about 647 living Americans carry the surname Rubbo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 529,759 residents.
How common is Rubbo?
Rubbo ranks #41,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 564 people with the surname Rubbo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Rubbo.
Has Rubbo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rubbo went from 554 recorded bearers to 564. That is an increase of 10 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,659 to #41,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Rubbo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Rubbo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rubbo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Rubbo (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 Rubbo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "rubeus" meaning red or ruddy complexion. 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 Rubbo (0.19 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 Rubbo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.