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

Rutiaga, 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 Rutiaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rutiaga in America

Rutiaga is the 55121st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rutiaga surname appeared 373 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 Rutiaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rutiaga 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 Rutiaga

The surname Rutiaga is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Basque words "ruti" and "aga," which roughly translate to "red" and "oak," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a red oak tree or forest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rutiaga surname can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript from the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia, Spain. This document mentions a pilgrim named Arnaldus Rutiaga who visited the cathedral during the 1130s.

In the 14th century, the Rutiaga family was prominent in the town of Guernica, a historic capital of the Basque region. Records from this time mention a nobleman named Juan Rutiaga, who served as an advisor to the Lord of Biscay.

During the Spanish Golden Age in the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the Rutiaga surname. Pedro Rutiaga (1525-1592) was a renowned artist and painter who worked in the Spanish court, while María Rutiaga (1570-1645) was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works explored themes of love and spirituality.

In the 18th century, the Rutiaga name appeared in the chronicles of the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One such individual was Tomás Rutiaga (1712-1785), a soldier and explorer who participated in several expeditions to map and settle parts of what is now Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Another prominent figure was Ignacio Rutiaga (1820-1890), a Basque businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Bilbao during the industrial revolution. His legacy includes the founding of several schools and hospitals in the region.

While the Rutiaga surname is relatively uncommon today, it remains an important part of Basque cultural heritage, with its origins deeply rooted in the history and traditions of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rutiaga

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!