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

Rutan, 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 Rutan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rutan in America

Rutan is the 12931st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rutan surname appeared 2,376 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rutan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rutan 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 Rutan

The surname RUTAN is believed to have originated from the German Rhineland region during the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic root word "rut," which means "red" or "ruddy," suggesting that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname referring to a person's reddish hair or complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RUTAN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval German charters and legal documents dating back to the 9th century. In this codex, a certain "Rutanus de Colonia" is mentioned, indicating a bearer of the name hailing from the city of Cologne.

During the 13th century, the name RUTAN appeared in various records from the region around the town of Rüthen, located in the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This suggests a possible connection between the surname and this particular place name, which itself is derived from the same Germanic root word.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Johannes RUTAN (1420-1484) was a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Cologne. His writings and teachings were highly influential during the Renaissance period.

Another prominent bearer of the RUTAN surname was Willibald RUTAN (1568-1631), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Elector of Bavaria. His compositions, particularly his sacred works, were widely performed and admired throughout Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods.

In the 18th century, the RUTAN name gained recognition in the field of medicine with the work of Johann Friedrich RUTAN (1712-1778), a German physician and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and medicinal properties of various herbs and plants.

Later, in the 19th century, the name RUTAN was associated with the American aviation pioneer, John RUTAN (1857-1927), who designed and built several early aircraft prototypes and is credited with advancing the development of aircraft design and engineering in the United States.

Throughout its history, the RUTAN surname has been found in various spellings, such as Ruthen, Ruthan, Rutthan, and Rutahn, reflecting the regional and linguistic variations common in medieval times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rutan

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

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

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

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