2000
#2,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,035
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.57
Uncommon Last name
Ruff
Derived from a nickname for a person with curly or unruly hair, or a boisterous, unruly personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,842 Americans carry the last name Ruff. That puts it at #2,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,351 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruff 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 Ruff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,351
Census rank
#2,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,687 bearers of the surname Ruff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruff, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruff
The surname Ruff originates from England, emerging in the late 12th century. It derives from the Old English word 'rufan' which means 'rough' or 'coarse'. This was likely originally a nickname given to someone with a rough or untamed appearance.
The name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Rufus' in various locations across England. This early spelling variation highlights the name's longevity and deep roots in the country's history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ruff is in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1177, where a Richard Ruf is mentioned. In the 13th century, a John Ruff is listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Norfolk in 1201.
The name Ruff is also found in connection with several place names, such as Rufford in Nottinghamshire and Rufford in Lancashire, both of which date back to the 12th century and likely derived their names from individuals bearing the Ruff surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Ruff include Sir Thomas Ruff (1505-1560), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1558. Another figure is Sir Walter Ruff (1599-1673), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, John Ruff (1727-1799) was a prominent English engraver and cartographer, known for his intricate maps and illustrations. Meanwhile, Samuel Ruff (1765-1826) was a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and famously participated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Moving into the 19th century, Emily Ruff (1829-1901) was a notable English author and poet, best known for her collection of sonnets titled "Echoes from the Heart."
The surname Ruff has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in England, with its roots firmly planted in the Old English language. Its connection to various place names and the appearance of individuals bearing the name in historical records and manuscripts further solidify its significance as a longstanding English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruff
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruff, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruff 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 Ruff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 10,228
- Black or African American22.1% · 3,252
- Two or more races3.9% · 577
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 445
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruff
Ruff 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
#2,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,383
+348 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 5.21
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#2,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,687
-696 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.91
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,220 | 15,035 | 5.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,369 | 15,383 | 5.21 | +348 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #2,417 | 14,687 | 4.91 | -696 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 48 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 Ruff 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 | #2,369 | #2,417 | -2.0% |
| Count | 15,383 | 14,687 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.21 | 4.91 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruff bearers went from 15,383 to 14,687 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,369 to #2,417.
FAQ
Ruff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruff?
Name Census estimates that about 16,842 living Americans carry the surname Ruff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,351 residents.
How common is Ruff?
Ruff ranks #2,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,687 people with the surname Ruff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,842), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Ruff.
Has Ruff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruff went from 15,383 recorded bearers to 14,687. That is a decrease of 696 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,369 to #2,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruff, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Ruff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (10,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.6%), Black (22.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Ruff (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 Ruff mean?
Derived from a nickname for a person with curly or unruly hair, or a boisterous, unruly personality. 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 Ruff (4.91 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 are called Ruff?
If you just want to know how many people are called Ruff, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.