2000
#866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.54
Uncommon Last name
Rubio
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "rubeus," meaning "red," likely referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 57,454 Americans carry the last name Rubio. That puts it at #663 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,966 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rubio 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 Rubio with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
57K
1 in 5,966
Census rank
#663
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
50K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 50,103 bearers of the surname Rubio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 663rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rubio
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rubio 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 Rubio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.3% · 45,733
- White5.6% · 2,789
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 1,046
- Two or more races0.4% · 204
- Black or African American0.4% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 154
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rubio
Rubio 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
#673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,788
+14,257 bearers (+39.0%)
Per 100,000 17.22
Rank movement Up 193 places
2020
#663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,103
-685 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 16.76
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #866 | 36,531 | 13.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #673 | 50,788 | 17.22 | +14,257 bearers (+39.0%) | Up 193 places |
| 2020 | #663 | 50,103 | 16.76 | -685 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 10 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 Rubio 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 | #673 | #663 | 1.5% |
| Count | 50,788 | 50,103 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 17.22 | 16.76 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rubio bearers went from 50,788 to 50,103 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #673 to #663.
FAQ
Rubio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rubio?
Name Census estimates that about 57,454 living Americans carry the surname Rubio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,966 residents.
How common is Rubio?
Rubio ranks #663 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 50,103 people with the surname Rubio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (57,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Rubio.
Has Rubio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rubio went from 50,788 recorded bearers to 50,103. That is a decrease of 685 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #673 to #663.
What does the Census say about the background of Rubio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rubio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (45,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rubio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.3%), White (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Rubio (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 Rubio mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "rubeus," meaning "red," likely referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Rubio (16.76 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 are called Rubio?
You can see how many people have the surname Rubio on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.