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

Ruthven, 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 Ruthven surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruthven in America

Ruthven is the 41164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruthven surname appeared 529 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 Ruthven.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruthven 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 Ruthven

The surname Ruthven originated in Scotland, specifically in the region of Perthshire. It is derived from the Gaelic words "ruadh" meaning "red" and "abhuinn" meaning "river," referring to the reddish color of the River Earn. The name can be traced back to the 12th century.

The earliest known record of the Ruthven name appears in the 13th century, when Sir Walter de Ruthven was granted lands in Perthshire by King Alexander II of Scotland. This established the Ruthven family as landowners and nobles in the region.

One of the most notable figures bearing the Ruthven name was William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie (1543-1584). He was a Scottish nobleman and a key figure in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. He played a significant role in the overthrow of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was later executed for his involvement in the Raid of Ruthven, a conspiracy aimed at seizing power from the Earl of Arran, who was then the regent of Scotland.

Another prominent Ruthven was John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (1578-1600), who was implicated in the mysterious Gowrie Conspiracy against King James VI of Scotland (later James I of England). The details of this alleged plot remain unclear, but it resulted in Gowrie's death and the forfeiture of the family's lands and titles.

In the 17th century, Patrick Ruthven (1573-1651), a Scottish soldier and diplomat, served as the Governor of Edinburgh Castle and played a crucial role in the Scottish Reformation.

The Ruthven name also appears in literary works, such as Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Abbot" (1820), which features a character named Roland Graeme, a fictitious descendant of the Ruthven family.

The variant spellings of the name include Rivven, Rothen, Rothene, and Rothven. The place name Ruthven was also used for various locations in Scotland, such as Ruthven Castle in Perthshire and the village of Ruthven in Badenoch and Strathspey.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruthven

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

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

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

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