2000
#2,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,263
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.66
Uncommon Last name
Ruffin
A surname of French origin, derived from a nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,182 Americans carry the last name Ruffin. That puts it at #2,235 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruffin 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
18K
1 in 18,851
Census rank
#2,235
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,856 bearers of the surname Ruffin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2235th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruffin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruffin
The surname Ruffin has its roots in France, originating during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "rouffe," meaning "red-headed" or "ruddy-complexioned." This suggests that the name was initially a descriptive nickname given to individuals with reddish hair or a reddish complexion.
The earliest records of the Ruffin surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a document commissioned by William the Conqueror to record landholdings in England, several variations of the name, such as "Rofin" and "Rouffin," appear, indicating the presence of the surname in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Ruffin surname was Guillaume Ruffin, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was later granted lands in Hertfordshire, England, for his service.
In the 13th century, the surname Ruffin was associated with the village of Rouffigny in the Normandy region of France. This place name, derived from the Latin word "rufinus" (meaning "reddish"), likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
During the Middle Ages, members of the Ruffin family held prominent positions in various parts of Europe. Notably, Sir John Ruffin (1290-1356) was a respected English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France.
In the 16th century, the Ruffin surname gained prominence in the United Kingdom, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Sir William Ruffin (1520-1587), an English politician and landowner who served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another significant figure was Thomas Ruffin (1637-1711), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Bangor Cathedral in Wales. He was known for his contributions to religious literature and his translations of classical texts.
In the 18th century, the Ruffin surname spread to the American colonies, where several individuals made their mark. One notable example was Edmund Ruffin (1794-1865), a Virginia-born agriculturalist and secessionist regarded as the "Father of Modern Soil Conservation" for his contributions to farming techniques and crop rotation practices.
Despite its French origins, the Ruffin surname has been widely adopted and has a presence in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with historical ties to France and the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruffin
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruffin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruffin 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 Ruffin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.7% · 12,472
- White12.8% · 2,031
- Two or more races5.1% · 807
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 450
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruffin
Ruffin 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
#2,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,324
+1,061 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 5.53
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#2,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,856
-468 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 5.30
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,188 | 15,263 | 5.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,231 | 16,324 | 5.53 | +1,061 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #2,235 | 15,856 | 5.30 | -468 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 4 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 Ruffin 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 | #2,231 | #2,235 | -0.2% |
| Count | 16,324 | 15,856 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.53 | 5.30 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruffin bearers went from 16,324 to 15,856 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,231 to #2,235.
FAQ
Ruffin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruffin?
Name Census estimates that about 18,182 living Americans carry the surname Ruffin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,851 residents.
How common is Ruffin?
Ruffin ranks #2,235 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.30 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 15,856 people with the surname Ruffin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.30 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 Ruffin.
Has Ruffin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruffin went from 16,324 recorded bearers to 15,856. That is a decrease of 468 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,231 to #2,235.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruffin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruffin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ruffin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (12,472 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruffin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (78.7%), White (12.8%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Ruffin (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 Ruffin mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from a nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Ruffin (5.30 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 Ruffin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.