2000
#4,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.84
Uncommon Last name
Ruvalcaba
A Basque surname derived from the place name Ruvalcaba, likely referring to someone who originated from that location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,779 Americans carry the last name Ruvalcaba. That puts it at #3,159 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruvalcaba 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
13K
1 in 26,822
Census rank
#3,159
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,144 bearers of the surname Ruvalcaba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3159th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruvalcaba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruvalcaba
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruvalcaba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruvalcaba 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 Ruvalcaba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.1% · 10,825
- White2.3% · 259
- Two or more races0.2% · 18
- Black or African American0.2% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruvalcaba
Ruvalcaba 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
#3,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,220
+3,547 bearers (+46.2%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Up 1,057 places
2020
#3,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,144
-76 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 3.73
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,274 | 7,673 | 2.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,217 | 11,220 | 3.80 | +3,547 bearers (+46.2%) | Up 1,057 places |
| 2020 | #3,159 | 11,144 | 3.73 | -76 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 58 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 Ruvalcaba 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 | #3,217 | #3,159 | 1.8% |
| Count | 11,220 | 11,144 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.80 | 3.73 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruvalcaba bearers went from 11,220 to 11,144 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,217 to #3,159.
FAQ
Ruvalcaba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruvalcaba?
Name Census estimates that about 12,779 living Americans carry the surname Ruvalcaba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,822 residents.
How common is Ruvalcaba?
Ruvalcaba ranks #3,159 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,144 people with the surname Ruvalcaba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Ruvalcaba.
Has Ruvalcaba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruvalcaba went from 11,220 recorded bearers to 11,144. That is a decrease of 76 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,217 to #3,159.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruvalcaba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruvalcaba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ruvalcaba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (10,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruvalcaba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.1%), White (2.3%), Two or More Races (0.2%). 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 Ruvalcaba (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 Ruvalcaba mean?
A Basque surname derived from the place name Ruvalcaba, likely referring to someone who originated from that location. 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 Ruvalcaba (3.73 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 Ruvalcaba?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Ruvalcaba at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.