2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ruzanski
A surname of Polish origin derived from the name of the village Ruzany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Ruzanski. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruzanski 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Ruzanski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruzanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruzanski
The surname Ruzanski is of Polish origin, emerging in the late 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "ruzany," which means "rose-colored" or "pink." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone with a ruddy or rosy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ruzanski surname can be found in the Polish town of Krakow, where a merchant named Piotr Ruzanski is mentioned in a trade record from 1492. It's possible that the name was also associated with a place name, as there is a village called Ruzany in the Grodno region of Belarus.
In the 16th century, the Ruzanski name appears in various Polish chronicles and historical documents. Notably, a nobleman named Jan Ruzanski is recorded as participating in the Battle of Orsha in 1514, fought between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
During the 17th century, the Ruzanski family gained prominence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Marcin Ruzanski (1590-1656) was a respected scholar and rector of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. His nephew, Stanislaw Ruzanski (1612-1678), was a renowned poet and playwright, known for his pastoral works and contributions to Polish literature.
In the 18th century, the Ruzanski name was carried by several notable figures. Franciszek Ruzanski (1720-1789) was a influential landowner and politician in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His son, Michal Ruzanski (1755-1817), was a military commander who fought against the Russian Empire during the Kosciuszko Uprising of 1794.
Another prominent individual with the Ruzanski surname was Maria Ruzanska (1856-1928), a Polish actress and singer who achieved fame in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She performed in theaters across Europe and was celebrated for her roles in operas and dramatic productions.
While the Ruzanski name has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Polish emigrants and their descendants. However, its origins can be traced back to the vibrant history and culture of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where it emerged as a distinctive and enduring surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruzanski
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruzanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruzanski 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 Ruzanski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 95
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruzanski
Ruzanski 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,139 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,929 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 14,139 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 6,929 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 Ruzanski 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 | #147,253 | #154,182 | -4.7% |
| Count | 112 | 103 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruzanski bearers went from 112 to 103 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 6,929 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #154,182.
FAQ
Ruzanski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruzanski?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Ruzanski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Ruzanski?
Ruzanski ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Ruzanski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ruzanski.
Has Ruzanski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruzanski went from 112 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruzanski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruzanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Ruzanski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruzanski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Ruzanski (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 Ruzanski mean?
A surname of Polish origin derived from the name of the village Ruzany. 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 Ruzanski (0.03 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 Ruzanski?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Ruzanski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.