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

Rubio, 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 Rubio surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rubio in America

Rubio is the 673rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rubio surname appeared 50,788 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Rubio.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rubio 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 Rubio

The surname Rubio has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word 'rubio', meaning 'blond' or 'reddish-haired'. The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with reddish or blond hair, a common practice in medieval times.

In the early years, the name was concentrated in the regions of Andalusia, Catalonia, and Valencia, where it was first recorded. Some early spellings included Rubio, Ruvio, and Ruvion. The first documented instance of the name can be found in the Cartulario de Cardeña, a medieval manuscript from the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Pedro Rubio, a prominent jurist and professor of law at the University of Salamanca in the 14th century (1328-1415). Another notable figure was Juan Rubio, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.

The name Rubio can also be traced to various place names in Spain, such as Rubio de Santiuste (Segovia) and Rubio de Arriba (Burgos), suggesting that some families may have taken their surname from the places they originated.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name spread across the Spanish Empire, with bearers found in various parts of Latin America, including Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. One notable figure from this period was Bartolomé Rubio, a Spanish Jesuit missionary who worked in New Spain (present-day Mexico) in the late 16th century.

Another prominent individual with the surname Rubio was José Rubio y Muñoz (1804-1875), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain in the mid-19th century.

In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with individuals like Angel Rubio (1885-1952), a Spanish painter and sculptor known for his works in the Modernist and Art Deco styles, and José Rubio Sacristán (1920-1998), a Spanish writer and journalist who was awarded the Nadal Prize for literature in 1967.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rubio

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

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 Rubio 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 Rubio 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 Rubio was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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