2000
#1,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.51
Uncommon Last name
Rubin
A Jewish surname derived from the gemstone ruby, often indicating a person who sold or traded precious stones.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,512 Americans carry the last name Rubin. That puts it at #1,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,435 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rubin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rubin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,435
Census rank
#1,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,248 bearers of the surname Rubin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentioned a person named Rudolfus dictus Rubin in 1284.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rubin
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rubin 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 Rubin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 19,168
- Black or African American6.0% · 1,338
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 903
- Two or more races2.2% · 480
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 329
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rubin
Rubin 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
#1,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,165
+196 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 7.85
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#1,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,248
-917 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 7.44
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,425 | 22,969 | 8.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,553 | 23,165 | 7.85 | +196 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #1,574 | 22,248 | 7.44 | -917 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 21 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 Rubin 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 | #1,553 | #1,574 | -1.4% |
| Count | 23,165 | 22,248 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.85 | 7.44 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rubin bearers went from 23,165 to 22,248 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,553 to #1,574.
FAQ
Rubin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rubin?
Name Census estimates that about 25,512 living Americans carry the surname Rubin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,435 residents.
How common is Rubin?
Rubin ranks #1,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,248 people with the surname Rubin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,512), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Rubin.
Has Rubin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rubin went from 23,165 recorded bearers to 22,248. That is a decrease of 917 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,553 to #1,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Rubin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Rubin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (19,168 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rubin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (6.0%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Rubin (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 Rubin mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the gemstone ruby, often indicating a person who sold or traded precious stones. 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 Rubin (7.44 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 have the surname Rubin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.