2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rugger
Derived from the sport of rugby football, likely referring to an enthusiast or player.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Rugger. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rugger 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Rugger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rugger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rugger
The surname "RUGGER" is believed to have originated in England during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is likely derived from the Old English word "rugge," which means "rough" or "coarse," and may have originally been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a rugged or weather-beaten appearance.
The earliest known reference to the name "RUGGER" can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where it is recorded as "Robertus Rugger." This suggests that the name was already established in northern England by the early 14th century.
During the 16th century, the name "RUGGER" appears in various records across England, including the Parish Registers of Gloucestershire (1538), where it is spelled "Rugger," and the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire (1524), where it is recorded as "Ruggar."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Rugger, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1520. He is mentioned in the church records of St. Michael's Parish, Oxford, in 1569.
In the 17th century, the name "RUGGER" can be found in various parts of England, including the Parish Registers of Staffordshire (1612), where it is recorded as "Rugger," and the Hearth Tax Rolls of Berkshire (1665), where it appears as "Ruggar."
Notable individuals with the surname "RUGGER" throughout history include William Rugger (1602-1677), a prominent merchant and landowner in Dorset; Thomas Rugger (1645-1721), a renowned clockmaker from London; and Elizabeth Rugger (1712-1798), a philanthropist and benefactor of several charitable institutions in Yorkshire.
In the 18th century, the name "RUGGER" is recorded in various documents across England, such as the Land Tax Assessments of Gloucestershire (1750), where it is spelled "Rugger," and the Parish Registers of Northamptonshire (1782), where it appears as "Ruggar."
One of the most prominent bearers of the name during this period was Sir John Rugger (1725-1803), a member of Parliament and influential landowner in Wiltshire.
As the centuries passed, the name "RUGGER" spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other English-speaking countries through emigration. However, its roots can be traced back to its English origins, where it has been documented for over 700 years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rugger
Among Census respondents with the surname Rugger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rugger 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 Rugger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rugger
Rugger 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-21 bearers (-17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 31,356 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+6 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,636 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -21 bearers (-17.4%) | Down 31,356 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 8,636 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 Rugger 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 | #160,975 | #152,339 | 5.4% |
| Count | 100 | 106 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rugger bearers went from 100 to 106 (+6.0% change). The surname moved up 8,636 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,339.
FAQ
Rugger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rugger?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Rugger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Rugger?
Rugger ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Rugger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Rugger.
Has Rugger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rugger went from 100 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 6 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Rugger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rugger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Rugger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rugger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Black (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Rugger (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 Rugger mean?
Derived from the sport of rugby football, likely referring to an enthusiast or player. 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 Rugger (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 Rugger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.