Ruffino last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ruffino

An Italian surname likely derived from the word "ruffo" meaning "curly" or "curled".

Ruffino, 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 Ruffino surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruffino in America

Ruffino is the 19976th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruffino surname appeared 1,342 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 Ruffino.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruffino 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 19976 16631 18.28%
Count 1,342 1,587 -16.73%
Proportion per 100k 0.45 0.59 -26.92%

The history of the last name Ruffino

The surname Ruffino is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the region of Piedmont, where the earliest records of the name can be found.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Ruffino comes from a legal document dated 1276, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Ruffino from the town of Asti. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the 13th century.

The name Ruffino is derived from the Latin personal name Rufinus, which itself comes from the Roman family name Rufus, meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy". This connection to the Latin name indicates that the Ruffino surname may have its origins in the Roman era, when many families adopted surnames based on their physical characteristics or personal names.

In the 14th century, the Ruffino family gained prominence in the city of Turin, where they were involved in the textile trade and held positions of influence within the local government. One notable member of the family during this time was Bartolomeo Ruffino (1325-1389), a successful merchant and banker.

As the Ruffino name spread throughout Italy, it also gained recognition in other fields. In the 16th century, Giovanni Battista Ruffino (1522-1590) was a renowned painter and architect from Verona, renowned for his work on the Palazzo Bevilacqua and other notable buildings in the city.

Another prominent figure with the surname Ruffino was Giacomo Ruffino (1609-1689), a Sicilian writer and philosopher who wrote extensively on topics such as ethics and natural philosophy. His works, including "La Filosofia Morale" and "Trattato dell'Anima Umana", were widely read and influential during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, the Ruffino family became closely associated with the Italian wine industry. In 1858, Adolfo Ruffino (1832-1898) founded the Ruffino Winery in the Tuscany region, which quickly gained a reputation for producing high-quality wines. The Ruffino Winery continues to operate today and is one of the most well-known Italian wine brands worldwide.

Other notable individuals with the surname Ruffino include Ernesto Ruffino (1888-1967), an Italian painter and sculptor known for his works inspired by the Italian countryside, and Gioacchino Ruffino (1907-1967), a Sicilian writer and poet who wrote extensively about rural life and the struggles of the working class.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruffino

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

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 Ruffino was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.65% 1,230
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.45% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.19% 16
Hispanic Origin 6.41% 86

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.65% 95.72% -4.34%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.45% 0.38% 16.87%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.19% 0.76% 44.10%
Hispanic 6.41% 2.84% 77.19%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ruffino, 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!

"Ruffino last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 8, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruffino-surname-popularity/.

"Ruffino last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruffino-surname-popularity/. Accessed 8 November, 2024

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

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