2000
#1,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.33
Uncommon Last name
Rucker
Derived from a German occupational name for a cloth maker or dyer, from Middle High German "ruck(e)" meaning "cloth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,185 Americans carry the last name Rucker. That puts it at #1,351 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rucker 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
29K
1 in 11,744
Census rank
#1,351
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,451 bearers of the surname Rucker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1351st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rucker, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.1%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rucker
The surname Rucker is believed to have originated from England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "hrycg," which means "ridge" or "high ground." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rucker name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared as "Rucherre," referring to a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire.
During the 13th century, the surname began to appear in various records with spellings such as "Rukker," "Ruckar," and "Ruckere." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.
The Rucker name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Rucker (c. 1420-1490), a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament during the reigns of Henry VI and Edward IV.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Rucker (1592-1662), an English colonist who settled in Virginia in the early 17th century. He played a significant role in the establishment of the tobacco industry in the colony and served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.
In the 18th century, Edmund Rucker (1711-1788) was a prominent Virginian planter and landowner who served as a justice of the peace and was involved in local government affairs. His grandson, Thomas Rucker (1786-1854), was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and served as a colonel in the Virginia militia during the War of 1812.
One of the most notable figures with the Rucker surname was Sir Henry Rucker (1796-1875), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the British East India Company. He was knighted for his military service and played a crucial role in the administration of British India.
Throughout history, the Rucker name has also been associated with various place names, such as Rucker's Hill in Virginia and Rucker's Station in Tennessee, which were named after early settlers with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rucker
Among Census respondents with the surname Rucker, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.1%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rucker 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 Rucker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.1% · 11,987
- White43.8% · 11,135
- Two or more races5.4% · 1,377
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 743
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rucker
Rucker 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
#1,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,581
+1,421 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 9.01
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#1,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,451
-1,130 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 8.51
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,287 | 25,160 | 9.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,326 | 26,581 | 9.01 | +1,421 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #1,351 | 25,451 | 8.51 | -1,130 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 25 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 Rucker 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 | #1,326 | #1,351 | -1.9% |
| Count | 26,581 | 25,451 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 9.01 | 8.51 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rucker bearers went from 26,581 to 25,451 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,326 to #1,351.
FAQ
Rucker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rucker?
Name Census estimates that about 29,185 living Americans carry the surname Rucker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,744 residents.
How common is Rucker?
Rucker ranks #1,351 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,451 people with the surname Rucker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,185), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Rucker.
Has Rucker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rucker went from 26,581 recorded bearers to 25,451. That is a decrease of 1,130 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,326 to #1,351.
What does the Census say about the background of Rucker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rucker, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.1%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rucker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.1% (11,987 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rucker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.1%), White (43.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Rucker (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 Rucker mean?
Derived from a German occupational name for a cloth maker or dyer, from Middle High German "ruck(e)" meaning "cloth." 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 Rucker (8.51 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 Americans have the surname Rucker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.