2000
#9,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Rugg
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold rugs or shaggy coverlets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,287 Americans carry the last name Rugg. That puts it at #10,649 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rugg 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 Rugg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,276
Census rank
#10,649
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,866 bearers of the surname Rugg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10649th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rugg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rugg
The surname Rugg is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hrycg," meaning "ridge" or "hill." It first emerged as a topographic name used to identify someone who lived near a prominent ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rugg can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ruge." This medieval survey, commissioned by William the Conqueror, documented landholders and their properties across England.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Rugg was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, where it likely originated. In these regions, the name may have been derived from specific place names containing the word "ridge," such as Rudge or Rudgeway.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Rugge" and "Ruge." One notable individual from this period was John Rugge, a landowner in Worcestershire mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273.
As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as "Rugge," "Rugg," and "Rugge" appearing in different regions. In the 16th century, a prominent figure named John Rugg (1522-1581) was a Protestant martyr burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I.
Another notable bearer of the Rugg surname was Thomas Rugg (1584-1658), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Eton College from 1627 until his death.
During the 17th century, the name Rugg was also found in New England, where several early settlers carried the surname. One such individual was Jonathan Rugg (1645-1718), one of the founders of the town of Rye, New Hampshire.
In the 18th century, the Rugg family established itself in Virginia, with William Rugg (1720-1790) being a prominent landowner and planter in Spotsylvania County.
As the name spread across different regions, variations in spelling continued to emerge, including "Rugge," "Rug," and "Ruggles." Despite these variations, the core meaning and origin of the surname remained rooted in the Old English word for "ridge" or "hill."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rugg
Among Census respondents with the surname Rugg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rugg 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 Rugg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,605
- Two or more races4.1% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 107
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rugg
Rugg 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
#10,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,986
-56 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 890 places
2020
#10,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,866
-120 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,814 | 3,042 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,704 | 2,986 | 1.01 | -56 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 890 places |
| 2020 | #10,649 | 2,866 | 0.96 | -120 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 55 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 Rugg 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 | #10,704 | #10,649 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,986 | 2,866 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.96 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rugg bearers went from 2,986 to 2,866 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,704 to #10,649.
FAQ
Rugg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rugg?
Name Census estimates that about 3,287 living Americans carry the surname Rugg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,276 residents.
How common is Rugg?
Rugg ranks #10,649 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,866 people with the surname Rugg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rugg.
Has Rugg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rugg went from 2,986 recorded bearers to 2,866. That is a decrease of 120 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,704 to #10,649.
What does the Census say about the background of Rugg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rugg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Rugg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,605 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rugg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Rugg (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 Rugg mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold rugs or shaggy coverlets. 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 Rugg (0.96 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 common is the surname Rugg?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Rugg on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.