Ruezga last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ruezga

A Spanish surname possibly derived from the word riego meaning "irrigation", suggesting an association with agriculture or land management.

Ruezga, 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 Ruezga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruezga in America

Ruezga is the 69392nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruezga surname appeared 283 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 Ruezga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruezga 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 69392 87729 -23.34%
Count 283 197 35.83%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.07 35.29%

The history of the last name Ruezga

The surname RUEZGA has its origins in the Spanish region of Galicia, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Galician word "ruezga," which means a small stream or rivulet. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with small waterways.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the RUEZGA name can be found in a medieval land registry from the Galician town of Pontevedra, dated 1287. This document refers to a certain "Pedro de Ruezga," indicating that the name was already in use at that time.

In the 15th century, a RUEZGA family is mentioned in the records of the Monastery of San Martín Pinario in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. These records detail a land dispute involving a person named "Álvaro Ruezga."

The name appears to have spread beyond Galicia in the following centuries. In the late 16th century, a merchant named "Juan Ruezga" is recorded in the city of Seville, suggesting that members of the family had migrated to other parts of Spain.

One notable bearer of the RUEZGA name was Francisco Ruezga (1618-1692), a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish-Portuguese War of Restoration. He was recognized for his bravery in battle and was later appointed governor of the city of Badajoz.

Another historical figure with the RUEZGA surname was María Ruezga (1754-1831), a Spanish writer and poet who was known for her contributions to the Enlightenment movement in Spain. Her works often explored themes of education and women's rights.

In the 19th century, a prominent member of the RUEZGA family was Ramón Ruezga (1831-1905), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament) and was involved in the drafting of several legal reforms.

While the RUEZGA name has its roots in Galicia, it has since spread to other parts of Spain and even beyond, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the small waterways of Galicia, reflecting the area's geography and the occupations of its early bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruezga

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

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 Ruezga was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.12% 6
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 97.88% 277

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 Ruezga has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.12% 4.57% -73.24%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic 97.88% 95.43% 2.53%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Ruezga last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 3, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruezga-surname-popularity/.

"Ruezga last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruezga-surname-popularity/. Accessed 3 November, 2024

Ruezga last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruezga-surname-popularity/.

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