2000
#14,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,941
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Rubel
A surname derived from the German coin "rubel," likely indicating an association with finance or money-related occupations.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,097 Americans carry the last name Rubel. That puts it at #15,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,450 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rubel 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
2.1K
1 in 163,450
Census rank
#15,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,829 bearers of the surname Rubel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rubel
The surname Rubel originated in Germany in the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the German word "Rubel," which means a small red gemstone or ruby. The name may have been given to someone who worked with rubies or had a ruddy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rubel can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, Germany, where a merchant named Hans Rubel is mentioned in documents from the 14th century. In the 15th century, a nobleman named Friedrich Rubel was documented as owning land in the region of Saxony.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname Rubel was Johannes Rubel, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1492 to 1559. He was known for his work in the field of Biblical exegesis and his contributions to the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, a famous artist named Peter Rubel (1605-1678) lived in the Netherlands and was renowned for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life. His works can be found in various museums across Europe.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable figure was Carl Rubel (1725-1801), a German composer and musician who served as the court composer for the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. He composed several operas and instrumental works during his lifetime.
Another individual with the surname Rubel who left a significant mark was the German writer and philosopher Max Rubel (1854-1919). He was a prominent figure in the socialist movement and wrote extensively on the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Throughout its history, the surname Rubel has been found in various regions of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland, where German-speaking populations settled. While the name may have evolved with slight spelling variations over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the German language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rubel
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rubel 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 Rubel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 1,629
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 56
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- Black or African American0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rubel
Rubel 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
#15,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,843
-98 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,605 places
2020
#15,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,829
-14 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,195 | 1,941 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,800 | 1,843 | 0.62 | -98 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 1,605 places |
| 2020 | #15,438 | 1,829 | 0.61 | -14 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 362 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 Rubel 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 | #15,800 | #15,438 | 2.3% |
| Count | 1,843 | 1,829 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.61 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rubel bearers went from 1,843 to 1,829 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,800 to #15,438.
FAQ
Rubel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rubel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,097 living Americans carry the surname Rubel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,450 residents.
How common is Rubel?
Rubel ranks #15,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,829 people with the surname Rubel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,097), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rubel.
Has Rubel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rubel went from 1,843 recorded bearers to 1,829. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,800 to #15,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Rubel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Rubel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (1,629 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rubel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Rubel (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 Rubel mean?
A surname derived from the German coin "rubel," likely indicating an association with finance or money-related occupations. 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 Rubel (0.61 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 Rubel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.