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

Ruoff, 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 Ruoff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruoff in America

Ruoff is the 23414th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruoff surname appeared 1,086 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 Ruoff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruoff 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 Ruoff

The surname RUOFF originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. The name can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 8th to 10th centuries.

The name RUOFF is derived from the Germanic root words "rod" and "wolf," which together mean "famous wolf" or "renowned wolf." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was considered brave or fierce like a wolf. Alternatively, it could have been a descriptive nickname for someone with wolf-like characteristics or features.

Historical records indicate that the name RUOFF appears in various medieval documents and manuscripts. One notable example is the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli, a cartulary from the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland, which mentions individuals with this surname as early as the 9th century.

The earliest recorded use of the name RUOFF can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli from the year 842, where a person named Ruadolf is mentioned. This is likely an early variant spelling of the surname.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname RUOFF. One of the earliest was Johannes Ruoff (c. 1450-1520), a German scholar and humanist who was a professor at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Another prominent figure was Christoph Ruoff (1564-1620), a Swiss theologian and author who served as a pastor in Zurich.

In the 17th century, Johann Jakob Ruoff (1629-1704) was a Swiss mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets. He was a professor at the University of Basel and published several works on celestial mechanics.

During the 18th century, Johann Philipp Ruoff (1720-1797) was a German composer and organist who worked in various courts and churches in southern Germany.

In the 19th century, Johann Baptist Ruoff (1817-1891) was a German painter and lithographer who specialized in portraiture and religious art. He lived and worked in Munich, Bavaria.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname RUOFF throughout history, demonstrating its long-standing presence in the German-speaking regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruoff

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

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

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

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