2000
#47,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Ruberg
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 531 Americans carry the last name Ruberg. That puts it at #49,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 645,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruberg 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
531
1 in 645,488
Census rank
#49,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
463
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 463 bearers of the surname Ruberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruberg
The surname RUBERG is of German origin, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around modern-day Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The name RUBERG likely derives from the Old German words "ru" or "ruo," meaning "rest" or "peace," and "berg," meaning "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a peaceful or tranquil location, possibly a settlement situated on a hill or in a mountainous area.
Historical records indicate that variations of the name, such as Ruberg, Ruebergh, and Ruhberg, were present in medieval German documents and manuscripts, although specific references are scarce. One early recorded instance of the name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Silesiae, a collection of historical documents from Silesia, which mentions a certain "Henricus de Ruberg" in the 13th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname RUBERG was Johannes Ruberg, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century and early 16th century. Another notable figure was Hans Ruberg, a German painter and engraver active in the 16th century, renowned for his religious artwork.
In the 17th century, a prominent member of the RUBERG family was Johann Christian Ruberg, a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Helmstedt. He authored several influential works on legal theory and practice.
During the 18th century, the name RUBERG was associated with the town of Ruberg in the Rhineland region of Germany, which may have been named after an early settler or landowner with the same surname.
Another notable individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Ruberg, a German writer and poet born in 1788, who gained recognition for his lyrical works and contributions to German literature.
Throughout history, the surname RUBERG has been found across various regions of Germany, as well as in areas with significant German immigration, such as parts of the United States and Canada. However, the name remains relatively uncommon compared to other German surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruberg 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 Ruberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 426
- Two or more races3.0% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 7
- Black or African American1.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruberg
Ruberg 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
#45,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 472
+53 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 2,228 places
2020
#49,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 463
-9 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,803 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,575 | 419 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,347 | 472 | 0.16 | +53 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 2,228 places |
| 2020 | #49,150 | 463 | 0.15 | -9 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 3,803 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 Ruberg 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 | #45,347 | #49,150 | -8.4% |
| Count | 472 | 463 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.15 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruberg bearers went from 472 to 463 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 3,803 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,347 to #49,150.
FAQ
Ruberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruberg?
Name Census estimates that about 531 living Americans carry the surname Ruberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 645,488 residents.
How common is Ruberg?
Ruberg ranks #49,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 463 people with the surname Ruberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (531), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Ruberg.
Has Ruberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruberg went from 472 recorded bearers to 463. That is a decrease of 9 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,347 to #49,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Ruberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Ruberg (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 Ruberg mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany. 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 Ruberg (0.15 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 Ruberg?
If you just want to know how common the surname Ruberg is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.