2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rute
A surname derived from the French word "route" meaning a road or trail.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Rute. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rute 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Rute in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rute, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rute
The surname RUTE has its origins in the German language, with earliest records dating back to the 12th century in the region of Saxony. The name is believed to have derived from the Middle Low German word "rute" or "rote," which referred to a clearing or open space in a forest or wooded area. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived in such a cleared area or worked as foresters or woodsmen.
One of the earliest documented references to the RUTE surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, dated around 1180. The record mentions a person named "Henricus Rute" who was a landowner in the area.
By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, and variations in spelling started to appear, such as Ruthe, Rute, and Rüte. In the 1400s, the RUTE surname was also found in the Dutch province of Gelderland, likely due to migration from neighboring German territories.
Notable individuals with the RUTE surname include Johann Friedrich Rute (1683-1748), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of planetary motion. Another notable bearer was Andreas Rute (1542-1600), a German theologian and author who wrote several influential works on Protestant theology during the Reformation era.
In the 16th century, the RUTE surname also appeared in England, possibly due to German immigrants settling in the country. One of the earliest recorded examples is that of William Rute, who was born in London in 1565 and worked as a merchant and trader.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the RUTE surname continued to be found in various parts of Europe, including Germany, the Netherlands, and England. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes Rute (1688-1751), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and still-life works, and Johann Gottfried Rute (1712-1786), a German composer and organist who contributed to the development of Baroque music.
As the centuries progressed, the RUTE surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of emigration from Europe. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation in different regions, its origins can be traced back to the German word "rute" and the early bearers who lived in or near forest clearings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rute
Among Census respondents with the surname Rute, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rute 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 Rute surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rute
Rute 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-31 bearers (-23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 37,090 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-23.0%) | Down 37,090 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 1,289 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 Rute 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 | #156,044 | #154,755 | 0.8% |
| Count | 104 | 102 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rute bearers went from 104 to 102 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 1,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #154,755.
FAQ
Rute surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rute?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Rute. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Rute?
Rute ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Rute. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rute.
Has Rute become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rute went from 104 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Rute?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rute, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Rute in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rute appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Rute (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 Rute mean?
A surname derived from the French word "route" meaning a road or trail. 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 Rute (0.03 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 many Americans have the surname Rute?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.