2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Ruffy
Of English origin, a variant of the surname "Rough" meaning coarse or hairy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Ruffy. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruffy 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Ruffy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruffy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.9%) and Hispanic (9.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruffy
The surname RUFFY is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "ruh" which means rough or hairy, and may have initially referred to someone with a rugged or unkempt appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a certain Robert Ruffy is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 13th century, likely stemming from a nickname or descriptive term that eventually became hereditary.
Another early reference comes from the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which lists a John Ruffy as a taxpayer. This provides further evidence that the name was well-established in various parts of England by the 14th century.
Some notable historical figures bearing the RUFFY surname include William Ruffy, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the late 15th century. Records show that he served as the Sheriff of London in 1489 and was involved in several property transactions within the city.
Moving forward to the 16th century, there is mention of a Thomas Ruffy in the Court Rolls of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, dated 1538. This document details a dispute over land ownership and provides insight into the lives of individuals with this surname during the Tudor period.
In the 17th century, a notable figure was John Ruffy, a puritan minister who lived from 1620 to 1692. He served as the rector of several parishes in Lincolnshire and was known for his strict adherence to puritan teachings and his opposition to the practices of the Church of England at the time.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Ruffy, who was born in 1675 in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. She is recorded in the parish registers as the daughter of a local farmer, and her birth provides evidence of the surname's continued presence in the area that was once home to William Shakespeare.
As the centuries progressed, the RUFFY surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with concentrations in counties such as Worcestershire, Sussex, and Warwickshire, where many of the early records were located. While not a particularly common name, its longevity and historical presence across multiple regions of England are noteworthy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruffy
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruffy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.9%) and Hispanic (9.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruffy 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 Ruffy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.9% · 78
- White15.9% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruffy
Ruffy appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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 Ruffy 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 | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruffy bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Ruffy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruffy?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Ruffy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Ruffy?
Ruffy ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Ruffy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ruffy.
Has Ruffy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruffy went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruffy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruffy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.9%) and Hispanic (9.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ruffy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.9% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruffy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.9%), White (15.9%), Hispanic (9.3%). 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 Ruffy (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 Ruffy mean?
Of English origin, a variant of the surname "Rough" meaning coarse or hairy. 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 Ruffy (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Ruffy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.