2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ruehlow
A surname of German origin indicating a geographic association with a town or river locality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Ruehlow. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruehlow 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Ruehlow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruehlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruehlow
The surname Ruehlow originates from the German region of Lower Saxony, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period around the 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "ruo," meaning a clearing or open space, combined with the suffix "-low," which refers to a wooded or forested area. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone who lived near or in a clearing within a heavily forested region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ruehlow name can be found in the town records of Braunschweig, dated 1487, where a certain Hans Ruehlow is mentioned as a landowner. Another early reference comes from the chronicles of the city of Lüneburg, where a merchant named Gerd Ruehlow is mentioned in a trade document from 1532.
In the 16th century, the Ruehlow family gained prominence in the region of Hanover, where they owned several estates and landholdings. One notable member of the family was Johann Ruehlow (1563-1627), a wealthy merchant and financier who served as a advisor to the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
As the Ruehlow name spread across Germany, it also found its way into various historical records and manuscripts. For instance, in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Dannenberg, there are numerous entries of Ruehlow families from the 17th and 18th centuries.
During the 19th century, several individuals with the Ruehlow surname achieved recognition in various fields. One such individual was Friedrich Ruehlow (1815-1892), a renowned theologian and pastor who served as the Superintendent of the Lutheran Church in the city of Celle. Another notable figure was Wilhelm Ruehlow (1854-1919), a celebrated architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin and other major cities of Germany.
Other notable individuals with the Ruehlow surname include Hans Ruehlow (1879-1945), a German naval officer who served during World War I, and Gerhard Ruehlow (1905-1992), a respected jurist and legal scholar who contributed significantly to the development of German civil law.
Overall, the surname Ruehlow has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the German regions of Lower Saxony and Hanover. Its origins can be traced back to the late medieval period, and the name has been associated with various prominent individuals throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruehlow
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruehlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruehlow 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 Ruehlow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruehlow
Ruehlow 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,322 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-10 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 1,322 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 8,848 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 Ruehlow 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 | #144,141 | #152,989 | -6.1% |
| Count | 115 | 105 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruehlow bearers went from 115 to 105 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 8,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,989.
FAQ
Ruehlow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruehlow?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Ruehlow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Ruehlow?
Ruehlow ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Ruehlow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ruehlow.
Has Ruehlow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruehlow went from 115 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruehlow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruehlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Ruehlow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruehlow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (1.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Ruehlow (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 Ruehlow mean?
A surname of German origin indicating a geographic association with a town or river locality. 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 Ruehlow (0.04 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 Ruehlow?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.