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

Rugh, 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 Rugh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rugh in America

Rugh is the 24855th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rugh surname appeared 1,001 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 Rugh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rugh 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.

The history of the last name Rugh

The surname Rugh is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "ruh," meaning "rough" or "coarse," suggesting that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a gruff or rugged appearance or personality.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rugh can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this document, a certain "Johannes Rugh" is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Zerbst.

The name Rugh also appears in various other historical records from across Germany, such as the Liber Censuum, a tax register from the 14th century, which lists several individuals with the surname Rugh living in the city of Cologne.

In the 16th century, the name Rugh was prominently associated with a family of Protestant reformers and scholars. Johann Rugh (1492-1564) was a notable theologian and one of the first advocates of the Reformation in the region of Saxony. His son, Philipp Rugh (1531-1597), was a renowned jurist and professor at the University of Leipzig.

Another notable figure with the surname Rugh was Hans Rugh (1555-1621), a German painter and engraver who was active in the late Renaissance period. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.

In the 18th century, a branch of the Rugh family migrated to the United States, where they settled in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johannes Rugh, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732. His descendants can be traced to various parts of the country, particularly in the states of Ohio and Indiana.

Throughout history, the surname Rugh has also been associated with various places and locations. For example, the village of Rughausen in Bavaria, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from the Rugh family who once resided there. Similarly, the town of Rughville in Ohio, United States, was named after one of the early settlers of the area, Jacob Rugh, who established a farm in the region in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rugh

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

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 Rugh was:

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rugh, please contact us.

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