2000
#13,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,098
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Ruder
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a wheelwright or cartwright.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,049 Americans carry the last name Ruder. That puts it at #15,731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,279 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruder 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 Ruder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 167,279
Census rank
#15,731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,787 bearers of the surname Ruder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruder, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruder
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruder, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruder 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 Ruder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,626
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 71
- Two or more races2.9% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruder
Ruder 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
#14,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,132
+34 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 770 places
2020
#15,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,787
-345 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,635 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,326 | 2,098 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,096 | 2,132 | 0.72 | +34 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 770 places |
| 2020 | #15,731 | 1,787 | 0.60 | -345 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 1,635 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 Ruder 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 | #14,096 | #15,731 | -11.6% |
| Count | 2,132 | 1,787 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.60 | -17.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruder bearers went from 2,132 to 1,787 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 1,635 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,096 to #15,731.
FAQ
Ruder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruder?
Name Census estimates that about 2,049 living Americans carry the surname Ruder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,279 residents.
How common is Ruder?
Ruder ranks #15,731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,787 people with the surname Ruder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ruder.
Has Ruder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruder went from 2,132 recorded bearers to 1,787. That is a decrease of 345 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,096 to #15,731.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruder, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ruder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,626 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ruder (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 Ruder mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a wheelwright or cartwright. 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 Ruder (0.60 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 share the surname Ruder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.