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

Rus, 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 Rus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rus in America

Rus is the 23457th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rus surname appeared 1,084 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 Rus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rus 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 Rus

The surname "RUS" is believed to have originated in Russia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Russian word "rus" which referred to the East Slavic ethnic group that inhabited the region around the city of Kyiv and eventually gave their name to the modern nation of Russia.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "RUS" can be found in the Veliky Novgorod Chronicles, a collection of manuscripts dating back to the 12th century that document the history of the Novgorod Republic. These chronicles mention various individuals bearing the name, suggesting that it was already well-established in the region at the time.

The name "RUS" is also believed to have been associated with the Rurik dynasty, a prominent ruling family that governed the Kievan Rus' territory from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Several members of this dynasty, such as Rurik (c. 830 - c. 879), the legendary founder of the dynasty, and Vladimir the Great (c. 958 - 1015), the Grand Prince of Kyiv who is credited with the Christianization of Kievan Rus', may have contributed to the spread and popularity of the name.

In the centuries that followed, the name "RUS" continued to be prevalent among the East Slavic population and can be found in various historical records and documents from the region. One notable example is Fyodor Rus (c. 1500 - c. 1570), a prominent merchant and diplomat who served as an envoy to the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

As the Russian Empire expanded and gained influence in the 18th and 19th centuries, the name "RUS" also spread to other parts of Eastern Europe and beyond. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Mikhail Illarionovich Rus (1805 - 1879), a Russian general who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, and Vasily Rus (1834 - 1898), a renowned Russian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.

Throughout its long history, the surname "RUS" has been associated with various notable figures, including writers, artists, military leaders, and political figures, reflecting the rich cultural and historical legacy of the region from which it originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rus

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

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

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

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