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

Ruvalcaba, 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 Ruvalcaba surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruvalcaba in America

Ruvalcaba is the 3217th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruvalcaba surname appeared 11,220 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Ruvalcaba.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruvalcaba 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 Ruvalcaba

The surname Ruvalcaba has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Basque language, with possible roots in the words "ruba" meaning "hillside" and "alcaba" meaning "quarry" or "cave." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived or worked near a hillside quarry or cave.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentions a place called "Ruvalcava" located in the province of Burgos, which may have been the ancestral home of those bearing the surname.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various Spanish records, such as the Catastro de Ensenada, a census conducted in the mid-1700s. One notable figure from this period was Juan de Ruvalcaba, a merchant from Seville who was involved in the transatlantic trade with the Spanish colonies in the Americas.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Ruvalcaba surname spread to the Americas, particularly to Mexico. One of the earliest examples of the name in the New World was Pedro de Ruvalcaba, a soldier who participated in the conquest of the Aztec Empire alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the Ruvalcaba surname was José Antonio de Ruvalcaba y Mercado (1732-1805), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Texas from 1768 to 1776. He played a significant role in the development of the region during the Spanish colonial period.

Another notable individual was Manuel de Ruvalcaba (1761-1833), a Mexican priest and independence activist who supported the cause of Mexican independence from Spain in the early 19th century. He was involved in the early stages of the Mexican War of Independence and worked alongside leaders like Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and José María Morelos.

Throughout the centuries, the Ruvalcaba surname has been carried by various individuals across different fields, including artists, writers, and politicians. However, it remains rooted in its Spanish and Basque origins, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the regions where it first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruvalcaba

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

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

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

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