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

Rueter, 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 Rueter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rueter in America

Rueter is the 20971st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rueter surname appeared 1,255 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rueter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rueter 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 Rueter

The surname Rueter has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Low German word "ruter," which referred to a land surveyor or someone who measured and marked boundaries.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Ruter" or "Rüter" in various historical documents and records from the German states. It is possible that some early bearers of the name were employed as land surveyors or worked in roles related to mapping and boundary demarcation.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Rueter can be found in the Stadtbuch (city book) of Lübeck, a historic hanseatic city in northern Germany. The entry, dated from the 14th century, mentions a certain "Henningus Ruter" as a resident of the city.

Over time, the name spread to other parts of Germany and evolved into different spellings, such as Rüter, Ruter, Reuter, and eventually, Rueter. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during the medieval and early modern periods.

Among the notable individuals who bore this surname throughout history are Johann Reuter (1588-1638), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. Another prominent figure was Fritz Reuter (1810-1874), a German novelist and poet who wrote in the Low German dialect and is considered one of the most important literary figures from the region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

In the Netherlands, the surname Rueter has also been recorded, likely due to the close historical ties between the German and Dutch regions. One notable Dutch bearer of the name was Dirk Rueter (1639-1676), a naval officer and admiral who served in the Dutch Golden Age and participated in several battles during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

Other historical figures with the surname Rueter include Wilhelm Rueter (1834-1907), a German-American entrepreneur and brewer who founded the Rueter Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Johann Christoph Rueter (1723-1800), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works.

While the surname Rueter is not among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history rooted in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with connections to various professions, artistic endeavors, and historical events over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rueter

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

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

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

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