2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rutishauser
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a wooded slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Rutishauser. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rutishauser 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Rutishauser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rutishauser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rutishauser
The surname Rutishauser originates from Germany and Switzerland, deriving from the German words "Ruot" meaning "clearing" or "glade" and "hus" meaning "house". It refers to someone who lived near or in a house in a clearing or glade. The earliest known records of this surname date back to the 13th century in the Swabian region of southern Germany.
In the 15th century, the name Rutishauser appeared in various Swiss manuscripts, particularly in the cantons of Zurich and St. Gallen. One notable mention is found in the tax records of Zurich from the year 1467, where a Jacob Rutishauser is listed as a landowner.
The earliest recorded spelling variations of the name include Rutishuser, Rutishausen, and Rutishusen, reflecting the local dialects and the evolution of the German language over time. These variations can be traced back to medieval records from various regions of Germany and Switzerland.
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Konrad Rutishauser, born in 1512 in Bischofszell, Switzerland. He was a prominent figure in the Swiss Reformation and served as a Protestant minister in the city of St. Gallen.
Another notable individual was Johann Rutishauser, a Swiss mathematician born in 1805 in Gais, Switzerland. He made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis and is known for his work on the calculation of pi.
In the 19th century, a branch of the Rutishauser family settled in the Alsace region of France, where the surname was sometimes spelled as Rutishausen or Rutishauser-Pelichet.
Other historical figures with the surname Rutishauser include:
1. Heinrich Rutishauser (1518-1590), a Swiss theologian and Reformer from Zurich.
2. Hans Rutishauser (1920-2003), a Swiss computer pioneer and inventor of the Rutishauser machine, an early digital computer.
3. Hermann Rutishauser (1890-1949), a Swiss architect known for his work on the Swiss National Museum in Zurich.
4. Joachim Rutishauser (1618-1680), a Swiss pastor and author from St. Gallen.
5. Ulrich Rutishauser (1881-1966), a Swiss politician and member of the National Council of Switzerland.
While the surname Rutishauser is primarily associated with Switzerland and southern Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and immigration over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rutishauser
Among Census respondents with the surname Rutishauser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rutishauser 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 Rutishauser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rutishauser
Rutishauser 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+6 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,360 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-21 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,735 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 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 3,360 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 19,735 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 Rutishauser 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 | #122,314 | #142,049 | -16.1% |
| Count | 141 | 120 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rutishauser bearers went from 141 to 120 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 19,735 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #142,049.
FAQ
Rutishauser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rutishauser?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Rutishauser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Rutishauser?
Rutishauser ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Rutishauser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rutishauser.
Has Rutishauser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rutishauser went from 141 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 21 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Rutishauser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rutishauser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Rutishauser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rutishauser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Rutishauser (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 Rutishauser mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a wooded slope. 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 Rutishauser (0.04 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 common is the surname Rutishauser?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Rutishauser is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.