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

Ruder, 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 Ruder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruder in America

Ruder is the 14096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruder surname appeared 2,132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ruder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruder 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 Ruder

The surname Ruder originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "ruoder," meaning "oar" or "rudder," indicating that the original bearers of this name may have been engaged in professions related to boating or water transportation.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Ruder can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Bonifatii, a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of St. Boniface in Munich, where a certain "Conradus Ruoder" is mentioned as a witness to a land transfer in 1165.

During the Middle Ages, the Ruder family was prevalent in various regions of southern Germany, particularly in the areas around the Danube River and its tributaries, where many were likely involved in river-based trades or navigation. In the 14th century, records show a Hanns Ruder as a prominent citizen of Regensburg, a city located along the Danube.

The name Ruder also appeared in various spellings, such as Rueder, Ruoeder, and Rüder, reflecting regional linguistic variations. In the 16th century, the Swiss scholar and theologian Thomas Ruder (1503-1568) gained recognition for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation, serving as a pastor and professor in Bern.

Another notable figure with the surname Ruder was Johann Christian Ruder (1668-1727), a German lawyer and scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Jena and authored several influential works on legal theory and jurisprudence.

In the 19th century, the Ruder name gained prominence in the field of engineering with the German civil engineer and architect Johann Jakob Ruder (1822-1902), who oversaw the construction of numerous bridges, railways, and public buildings throughout Germany and neighboring countries.

While the surname Ruder has been most prevalent in German-speaking regions, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and cultural exchange. For instance, the Polish-German painter and engraver Jan Ruder (1792-1858) was born in Warsaw but spent much of his career in Berlin, where he became known for his landscapes and architectural depictions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruder

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

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

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

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