Find out how popular the last name Rugova is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rugova.
An Albanian topographic surname referring to someone from the Rugova region.
Rugova, 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 Rugova surname is from the 2010 census data.
Rugova is the 87663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Rugova surname appeared 212 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 Rugova.
We can also compare 2010 data for Rugova 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 87663 | 115489 | -27.39% |
| Count | 212 | 140 | 40.91% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.07 | 0.05 | 33.33% |
The surname Rugova is of Albanian origin, originating from the Rugova region in western Kosovo. This area is known for its rugged, mountainous terrain and has been inhabited since ancient times.
The name Rugova is believed to derive from the Albanian word "rug," meaning "mountain ridge" or "rocky terrain." This suggests that the name was likely given to families or individuals who lived or worked in the mountainous Rugova region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rugova can be found in the Ottoman census records from the 15th and 16th centuries. These records document several families with the surname Rugova living in the Rugova region and surrounding areas.
During the 19th century, the Rugova surname gained prominence with the birth of Ibrahim Rugova (1944-2006), a prominent Albanian political leader and the first elected President of Kosovo. Rugova played a pivotal role in Kosovo's struggle for independence and is widely regarded as a national hero.
Another notable individual with the surname Rugova was Mehmet Rugova (1921-2009), an Albanian writer and poet. Rugova's works often explored themes of national identity and the struggle for freedom, reflecting the political and cultural climate of his time.
In the early 20th century, the Rugova family was also associated with the town of Peja, located in western Kosovo. Several historical records mention members of the Rugova family as landowners and influential figures in the Peja region.
Other individuals with the surname Rugova include Agim Rugova (1935-2019), a Kosovo Albanian politician and diplomat who served as the President of the Democratic League of Kosovo from 1989 to 2006, and Sokol Rugova (born 1973), a former professional basketball player who represented the Albanian national team.
While the Rugova surname is primarily found in Kosovo and among the Albanian diaspora, it has also been recorded in neighboring regions, such as Montenegro and North Macedonia, likely due to migration and intermarriage between communities.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rugova.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rugova was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 99.53% | 211 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Rugova has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 99.53% | 87.86% | 12.46% |
| Black | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.00% | 4.29% | -200.00% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | 7.86% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
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 Rugova was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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