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

Ruiz-Hernández, 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 Ruiz-Hernández surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruiz-Hernández in America

Ruiz-Hernández is the 49461st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruiz-Hernández surname appeared 425 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 Ruiz-Hernández.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruiz-Hernández 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 Ruiz-Hernández

The surname RUIZHERNANDEZ originates from Spain, emerging in the late 15th century during the unification of the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile under the Catholic Monarchs. It is a compound surname formed by the combination of two existing Spanish surnames – Ruiz and Hernandez.

Ruiz is believed to derive from the Old Spanish "Ruy" or "Rodrigo," a name of Germanic origin meaning "famous ruler." This name was particularly popular in the regions of Castile and León during the Middle Ages. Records show the surname Ruiz appearing in various historical documents from the 12th century onwards, such as the Cartulario de Arlanza and the Becerro de las Behetrías.

Hernandez, on the other hand, is a patronymic surname originating from the personal name Hernando, a Spanish variant of Ferdinand or Fernando. This name can be traced back to the Visigoths and the Germanic element "hern," meaning "army" or "warrior." The earliest recorded instances of the Hernandez surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, including Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia.

The combination of these two surnames, RUIZHERNANDEZ, likely emerged as a result of marriage between individuals bearing the surnames Ruiz and Hernandez. This practice of combining surnames was common in Spain, particularly among the nobility and the upper classes, as a way to preserve the family lineages and establish connections between prominent families.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname RUIZHERNANDEZ was Diego Ruiz Hernandez, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. Another individual of note was Juana Ruiz Hernandez (1522-1598), a Spanish noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the colonization and settlement of the Caribbean region.

In the 17th century, the RUIZHERNANDEZ surname can be found in various historical records, such as the census documents of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (present-day Mexico and parts of Central America). One example is Pedro Ruiz Hernandez (1635-1702), a prominent landowner and cattle rancher in the region of Nuevo León.

Moving into the 18th century, the RUIZHERNANDEZ surname continued to be present in various parts of the Spanish Empire. Notably, Juan Ruiz Hernandez (1712-1788) was a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Royal Army and participated in the defense of the Spanish territories in the Caribbean during the numerous conflicts between Spain and Britain.

By the 19th century, individuals bearing the RUIZHERNANDEZ surname had established themselves in various parts of the world, including Latin America and the United States. One example is María Ruiz Hernandez (1820-1892), a Cuban writer and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and patriotism during the Cuban independence movement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruiz-Hernández

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ruiz-Hernández.

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 Ruiz-Hernández 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 Ruiz-Hernández 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 Ruiz-Hernández was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!