2000
#129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 65.03
Common Last name
Ruiz
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "rufus," meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy-complexioned."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 272,102 Americans carry the last name Ruiz. That puts it at #92 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 79.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,260 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruiz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ruiz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
272K
1 in 1,260
Census rank
#92
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
79.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
237K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 237,286 bearers of the surname Ruiz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 79.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruiz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruiz
The surname Ruiz has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 8th century when the Iberian Peninsula was under Moorish rule. It is derived from the Spanish word "Ruy," which is a variant of the Germanic name Roderic or Rodrigo. The name Ruy was relatively common among Christians living in areas controlled by the Moors.
During the Reconquista, as Christian territories were gradually reclaimed from the Moors, the name Ruiz emerged as a patronymic surname, indicating "son of Ruy." It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval documents from the 10th and 11th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Ruiz was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, a Castilian nobleman and military leader who lived from 1043 to 1099. He played a crucial role in the reconquest of Valencia from the Moors and has been celebrated in numerous literary works, including the epic poem "El Cantar de Mío Cid."
Another notable figure was Hernán Ruiz de Alarcón, a Spanish architect and sculptor born in 1492. He was responsible for designing and constructing several significant Renaissance buildings in Seville, including the Casa de Contratación and the iconic Giralda bell tower of the Seville Cathedral.
Juan Ruiz, also known as the Arcipreste de Hita, was a 14th-century Spanish poet and cleric renowned for his satirical and didactic work "Libro de Buen Amor" (Book of Good Love). Born around 1283, he is considered one of the most influential poets of the medieval period in Spain.
Francisco Ruiz de Velasco, born in 1589, was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1648 to 1653. He played a significant role in the governance of the Spanish colonial territories in the Americas.
In the 19th century, Juan Ruiz de Apodaca (1754-1835) was a Spanish naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the viceroy of New Spain from 1816 to 1821, a turbulent period marked by the Mexican War of Independence.
The surname Ruiz has been widely dispersed throughout the Spanish-speaking world, particularly in Latin American countries with strong historical ties to Spain, such as Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Argentina.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruiz
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruiz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruiz 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 Ruiz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.2% · 218,709
- White5.5% · 13,005
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2,753
- Black or African American0.6% · 1,307
- Two or more races0.4% · 922
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 590
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruiz
Ruiz 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
#89
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 238,234
+62,805 bearers (+35.8%)
Per 100,000 80.76
Rank movement Up 40 places
2020
#92
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 237,286
-948 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 79.39
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129 | 175,429 | 65.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89 | 238,234 | 80.76 | +62,805 bearers (+35.8%) | Up 40 places |
| 2020 | #92 | 237,286 | 79.39 | -948 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 3 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 Ruiz 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 | #89 | #92 | -3.4% |
| Count | 238,234 | 237,286 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 80.76 | 79.39 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruiz bearers went from 238,234 to 237,286 (-0.4% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #89 to #92.
FAQ
Ruiz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruiz?
Name Census estimates that about 272,102 living Americans carry the surname Ruiz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,260 residents.
How common is Ruiz?
Ruiz ranks #92 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 79.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 79 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 237,286 people with the surname Ruiz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (272,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 79.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 79.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 79 of them to have the surname Ruiz.
Has Ruiz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruiz went from 238,234 recorded bearers to 237,286. That is a decrease of 948 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #89 to #92.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruiz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruiz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ruiz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (218,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruiz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.2%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Ruiz (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 Ruiz mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "rufus," meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy-complexioned." 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 Ruiz (79.39 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 Ruiz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.