2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ruggiere
A surname of Italian origin meaning "one who roars like a lion".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Ruggiere. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruggiere 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Ruggiere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruggiere, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruggiere
The surname Ruggiere is of Italian origin, derived from the medieval given name Ruggiero, which is thought to have originated from the Germanic name Rodger or Roger. This name is believed to have its roots in the Old Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "ger" meaning "spear."
The Ruggiere surname is most commonly found in southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. It is thought to have emerged in these areas during the Norman conquest of southern Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries when Germanic names like Rodger or Roger were adopted and Italianized.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ruggiere surname can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 12th century. The document mentions a certain "Ruggiero de Baro" in 1191.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Ruggiero di Lauria (1250-1305) was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Naples and served as an admiral under King Peter III of Aragon. He played a crucial role in the War of the Sicilian Vespers against the Angevin French rulers.
Another notable individual with this surname was Francesco Ruggieri (1629-1698), an Italian composer and violinist who was active in Rome during the Baroque period. He composed numerous operas, oratorios, and instrumental works.
The name Ruggiere has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as the town of Ruggiero in the province of Salerno, Campania, and the castle of Castello Ruggiero in the town of Melilli, Sicily.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Ruggiero (1819-1891) was an Italian painter and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from Italian history and mythology.
Additionally, the surname Ruggiere has been carried by several notable athletes, including the Italian soccer player Giuseppe Ruggiero (1920-1994) and the Italian-American baseball player Phil Rizzuto (born Filippo Ruggiero) (1917-2007), who played for the New York Yankees and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruggiere
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruggiere, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruggiere 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 Ruggiere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruggiere
Ruggiere 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,326 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+14 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,964 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,326 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 12,964 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 Ruggiere 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 | #144,270 | 8.2% |
| Count | 103 | 117 | 13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruggiere bearers went from 103 to 117 (+13.6% change). The surname moved up 12,964 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #144,270.
FAQ
Ruggiere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruggiere?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Ruggiere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Ruggiere?
Ruggiere ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Ruggiere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Ruggiere.
Has Ruggiere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruggiere went from 103 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 14 (+13.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruggiere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruggiere, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Ruggiere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruggiere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (1.7%). 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 Ruggiere (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 Ruggiere mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "one who roars like a lion". 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 Ruggiere (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 people share the surname Ruggiere?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.