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

Rui, 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 Rui surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rui in America

Rui is the 70403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rui surname appeared 278 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 Rui.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rui 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 Rui

RUI is a surname of Portuguese origin, derived from the given name Rui, which is a medieval Portuguese form of the name Rodrigo. The name Rodrigo itself is of Germanic origin, composed of the elements "rod" (meaning "fame" or "glory") and "ric" (meaning "powerful" or "ruler").

The surname RUI can be traced back to the 12th century in Portugal, where it was first recorded as a noble family name. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Rui Fernandes, a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who lived in the 13th century.

The name RUI gained prominence in the 14th and 15th centuries, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One such person was Rui Gomes de Alvarenga (c. 1380-1450), a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who served as the Grand Master of the Order of Santiago.

Another notable figure was Rui de Pina (c. 1440-1521), a Portuguese chronicler and historian who served as the official chronicler of King João II of Portugal. His works, including the "Chronica do Senhor Rei D. Affonso V" and "Chronica d'El-Rei D. João II," are considered important sources for the history of Portugal during the 15th century.

In the 16th century, Rui Gomes da Silva (1512-1572) was a Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a significant role in the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. He was appointed the first Governor-General of Brazil in 1549 and oversaw the establishment of the city of Salvador, which became the capital of the colony.

Another noteworthy individual was Rui Nunes da Silva (c. 1530-1597), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1497-1499. He later became the Captain-Major of the Portuguese fleet and played a crucial role in the establishment of Portuguese trade routes in the Indian Ocean.

Throughout history, the surname RUI has been associated with various places in Portugal, such as Rui Vasco in the Alentejo region and Rui de Mouros in the Algarve region. These place names suggest that the surname may have originated from or been associated with specific locations within Portugal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rui

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

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

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

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