2000
#6,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Rusch
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near rushes or reeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,026 Americans carry the last name Rusch. That puts it at #7,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rusch 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
5.0K
1 in 68,196
Census rank
#7,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,383 bearers of the surname Rusch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rusch
The surname Rusch is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "rusch," which means "rush" or "reed," referring to the plant that grows in marshy areas. This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have lived near such wetlands or had an occupation related to the processing or harvesting of rushes.
The name Rusch can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards, particularly in regions of present-day Germany and Switzerland. One notable example is the mention of a Henricus dictus Rusche in a document from the city of Cologne, dated 1293. This entry indicates that the name was already in use as a surname at that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Rusche, Ruesche, and Rüsche, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. For instance, in 1349, a Johannes Ruesche is recorded in the town of Rottweil, located in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The earliest known bearer of the Rusch surname was likely a resident of a place name derived from the word "rusch," such as Ruschberg or Ruschau, which were small settlements in German-speaking regions. These place names suggest that the surname may have initially denoted a person's place of origin or residence.
Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname Rusch. One example is Johann Baptist Rusch (1620-1696), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in the city of Nuremberg during the Baroque period. Another is Johann Philipp Rusch (1732-1781), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the 18th century.
Other historical figures with the Rusch surname include Karl Rusch (1862-1921), a German politician and member of the Reichstag, and Gerhard Rusch (1905-1986), a German artist and sculptor known for his works in bronze and stone. Additionally, Johann Jakob Rusch (1699-1769) was a Swiss theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Basel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rusch
Among Census respondents with the surname Rusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rusch 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 Rusch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 4,084
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 120
- Two or more races2.7% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rusch
Rusch 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
#7,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,703
+48 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 421 places
2020
#7,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,383
-320 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,692 | 4,655 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,113 | 4,703 | 1.59 | +48 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 421 places |
| 2020 | #7,329 | 4,383 | 1.47 | -320 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 216 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 Rusch 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 | #7,113 | #7,329 | -3.0% |
| Count | 4,703 | 4,383 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.47 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rusch bearers went from 4,703 to 4,383 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,113 to #7,329.
FAQ
Rusch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rusch?
Name Census estimates that about 5,026 living Americans carry the surname Rusch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,196 residents.
How common is Rusch?
Rusch ranks #7,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,383 people with the surname Rusch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rusch.
Has Rusch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rusch went from 4,703 recorded bearers to 4,383. That is a decrease of 320 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,113 to #7,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Rusch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Rusch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (4,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rusch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (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 Rusch (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 Rusch mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near rushes or reeds. 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 Rusch (1.47 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 common is the surname Rusch?
See how many Americans have the surname Rusch on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.