Find out how popular the last name Rubin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rubin.

Rubin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rubin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rubin in America

Rubin is the 1553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rubin surname appeared 23,165 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Rubin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rubin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rubin

The surname Rubin is of German and Jewish origin, derived from the German word "Rubin," meaning "ruby." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, when it was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a particularly ruddy or reddish complexion.

In its earliest known usage, the name appeared in various German chronicles and records from the 13th century onwards, with spellings such as Rubin, Rubyn, and Rubein. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentioned a person named Rudolfus dictus Rubin in 1284.

The Rubin surname also has a strong Jewish connection, as it was commonly adopted by Ashkenazi Jews living in German-speaking regions during the Middle Ages. Many Jewish families took on surnames derived from precious stones or colors, and Rubin was a popular choice due to its connection with the ruby gemstone, which held symbolic significance in Jewish tradition.

In the 15th century, the surname appears in several German Jewish records, including the Memorbuch (Memorial Book) of the Jewish community in Nuremberg, which lists a Rubin family residing in the city in the late 1400s.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Rubin surname was Rabbi Simcha Bunim Rubinstein (1765-1827), a prominent Hasidic leader and founder of the Przysucha and Peshischa dynasties in Poland. Another notable figure was the German philosopher and satirist Solomon Rubin (1823-1910), known for his works criticizing German society and antisemitism.

Other historical figures with the Rubin surname include:

1. Sholom Aleichem (Solomon Rabinovich, 1859-1916), a famous Yiddish writer and humorist, known for his stories depicting Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
2. Reuven Rubin (1893-1974), an Israeli painter and founder of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.
3. Ida Rubinstein (1885-1960), a Russian-born dancer, actress, and theater producer who gained fame in Paris in the early 20th century.
4. Isidor Rabi (1898-1988), an American physicist and Nobel laureate, best known for his work on magnetic resonance and the development of the molecular beam resonance method.
5. Robert Rubin (born 1938), an American economist and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton.

While the Rubin surname has its roots in Germany and Jewish communities, it has since spread across various parts of Europe and beyond, with many variations in spelling and pronunciation arising over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rubin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rubin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rubin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rubin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rubin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rubin, please contact us.

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