Ruof last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ruof

A surname likely derived from the German word "ruof" meaning rye field.

Ruof, 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 Ruof surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruof in America

Ruof is the 130610th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruof surname appeared 130 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 Ruof.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruof 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 130610 121780 7.00%
Count 130 131 -0.77%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.05 -22.22%

The history of the last name Ruof

The surname RUOF is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "ruof," which means "call" or "shout," suggesting that it may have been an occupational name for a town crier or messenger.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the RUOF name is Henricus Ruof, who was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne in 1198. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name RUOF appeared in several medieval manuscripts, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its initial roots in the Rhineland area.

During the 14th century, the RUOF surname was found in various records across different parts of Germany, such as the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Braunschweig (Deed Book of the City of Brunswick) from 1345, which mentions a certain Conradus Ruof.

One notable bearer of the RUOF name was Johann Ruof, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1506 to 1580. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and played a significant role in spreading the teachings of Martin Luther in the region of Franconia.

Another distinguished individual with the RUOF surname was Hans Ruof, a Swiss mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1530 to 1592. He made significant contributions to the field of cartography and was involved in the development of new astronomical instruments.

In the 17th century, the RUOF name appeared in various records from the city of Nuremberg, which was a center of trade and commerce in that era. One notable example is Johannes Ruof, a merchant and banker who lived from 1623 to 1697.

Throughout the centuries, the RUOF surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Raufenhausen and Raufenburg, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in different regions.

Overall, the surname RUOF has a rich history that spans several centuries and regions within Germany, with its origins likely rooted in an occupational or descriptive name related to communication or calling out.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruof

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

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 Ruof was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 87.69% 114
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 3.85% 5
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 6.15% 8

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 Ruof has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 87.69% 90.84% -3.53%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 3.85% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 6.15% 3.82% 46.74%

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

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

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"Ruof last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruof-surname-popularity/.

"Ruof last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruof-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 August, 2025

Ruof last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ruof-surname-popularity/.

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