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

Rust, 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 Rust surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rust in America

Rust is the 2967th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rust surname appeared 12,086 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Rust.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rust 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 Rust

The surname Rust is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "rust," which referred to the reddish-brown oxide that forms on iron or steel when exposed to moisture and air. The name likely arose as a descriptive surname, given to someone with rust-colored hair or complexion.

In its earliest recorded forms, the surname appeared as "le Rust" or "le Ruste" in the 13th century. These early spellings indicate that the name was initially preceded by the Norman-French definite article "le," a common practice for descriptive surnames of that era.

The Rust surname is found in various historical records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Walter le Rust in Oxfordshire. Another early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, mentioning a John le Rust.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rust surname is Robert le Rust, who is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292. In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, with a Thomas Rust recorded in 1327.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the Rust surname include Sir Benjamin Rust (1642-1713), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Rye. John Rust (1701-1749) was a renowned English clergyman and theologian, best known for his work "A Discourse on Truth."

In the 18th century, Edward Rust (1757-1833) was a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench in Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada). Another notable figure was Thomas Cyprian Rust (1805-1887), an English Anglican clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theology and church history.

Moving into the 19th century, George Rust (1828-1897) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Geographical Society's former headquarters.

Throughout its history, the Rust surname has been associated with various place names, such as Rust in Hampshire, England, and Rust in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which may have influenced the name's origins or contributed to its spread across regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rust

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

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

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

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