2000
#40,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Rulo
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin "rotulus" meaning a rolled or scroll-like shape.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 644 Americans carry the last name Rulo. That puts it at #41,707 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 532,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rulo 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.
Bearers in the US
644
1 in 532,227
Census rank
#41,707
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
562
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 562 bearers of the surname Rulo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41707th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rulo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rulo
The surname RULO is believed to have originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "rulo," which means a curled lock of hair or a curl. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with curly hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RULO can be found in the medieval records of the Spanish city of Valencia, where a certain Pedro Rulo was mentioned in a document dated 1312. This indicates that the name was already in use by the early 14th century in the region of Valencia.
During the 15th century, the RULO surname appeared in various parts of Spain, including Andalusia and Catalonia. In the town of Ronda, located in Andalusia, there is a record of a Juan Rulo who was a local landowner in the year 1472.
The name RULO also has a connection to the Basque region of Spain. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Martín Rulo de Amezaga (born around 1520) was a prominent merchant and shipowner from the Basque town of Lequeitio.
In the 17th century, the RULO surname found its way to the Americas through Spanish colonization. One notable individual was Hernando Rulo, a Spanish explorer who accompanied the expedition of Diego de Almagro to Chile in the 1530s.
Another significant figure with the RULO surname was Miguel Rulo y Valdés (1638-1704), a Spanish military officer and governor of Florida during the late 17th century. He played a crucial role in defending the Spanish colony against English and indigenous attacks.
Throughout the centuries, the RULO surname has been associated with various places in Spain, such as the towns of Rulo in Zaragoza and Rulo in Teruel. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
While the RULO surname originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the Spanish peninsula, where it emerged as a descriptive surname during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rulo
Among Census respondents with the surname Rulo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rulo 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 Rulo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 502
- Two or more races6.8% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rulo
Rulo 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
#40,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 543
+41 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 674 places
2020
#41,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 562
+19 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 1,394 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,987 | 502 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,313 | 543 | 0.18 | +41 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 674 places |
| 2020 | #41,707 | 562 | 0.19 | +19 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 1,394 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 Rulo 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 | #40,313 | #41,707 | -3.5% |
| Count | 543 | 562 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.19 | 4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rulo bearers went from 543 to 562 (+3.5% change). The surname moved down 1,394 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,313 to #41,707.
FAQ
Rulo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rulo?
Name Census estimates that about 644 living Americans carry the surname Rulo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 532,227 residents.
How common is Rulo?
Rulo ranks #41,707 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 562 people with the surname Rulo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rulo.
Has Rulo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rulo went from 543 recorded bearers to 562. That is an increase of 19 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,313 to #41,707.
What does the Census say about the background of Rulo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rulo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rulo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rulo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (6.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Rulo (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 Rulo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin "rotulus" meaning a rolled or scroll-like shape. 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 Rulo (0.19 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 people share the surname Rulo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.