2000
#11,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,466
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Ruzicka
A Czech occupational surname referring to a producer or seller of roses, from the Czech word "růžička" meaning "little rose."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,814 Americans carry the last name Ruzicka. That puts it at #12,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruzicka 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
2.8K
1 in 121,803
Census rank
#12,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,454 bearers of the surname Ruzicka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruzicka, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruzicka
The surname Ruzicka originates from the Czech Republic and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Czech word "ruzicka," which means "little rose." This name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone associated with roses, perhaps a rose grower or someone who lived near a rose garden.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ruzicka can be found in the Bohemian Landtables, which were tax records maintained by the nobility in the Kingdom of Bohemia during the 14th and 15th centuries. The name appears in these records, suggesting it was already in use by that time period.
In the late 16th century, the name Ruzicka appears in the records of the University of Prague, indicating that individuals with this surname were pursuing higher education during the Renaissance era. One notable individual was Jan Ruzicka (1520-1582), a Czech humanist scholar and poet who studied at the University of Prague.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Ruzicka can be found in various church records and parish registers throughout the Czech lands, reflecting its continued use among the population. One notable bearer of the name was Vaclav Ruzicka (1687-1753), a Czech Baroque painter known for his religious and allegorical works.
In the 19th century, the name Ruzicka gained prominence with the birth of the Czech chemist and Nobel Prize winner, Antonín Ruzicka (1888-1976). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939 for his research on polymethylenes and higher terpene compounds.
Another notable individual with the surname Ruzicka was Oldrich Ruzicka (1909-1994), a Czech-American mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of topology and functional analysis. He taught at the University of Chicago for much of his career.
The surname Ruzicka has also been carried by several prominent musicians, including the Czech composer and conductor Rudolf Ruzicka (1883-1978) and the Czech violinist and conductor Rafael Ruzicka (1878-1938), both of whom were active in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruzicka
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruzicka, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruzicka 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 Ruzicka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,270
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 101
- Two or more races2.0% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruzicka
Ruzicka 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
#12,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,523
+57 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 670 places
2020
#12,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,454
-69 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,653 | 2,466 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,323 | 2,523 | 0.86 | +57 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 670 places |
| 2020 | #12,124 | 2,454 | 0.82 | -69 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 199 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 Ruzicka 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 | #12,323 | #12,124 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,523 | 2,454 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.82 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruzicka bearers went from 2,523 to 2,454 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 199 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,323 to #12,124.
FAQ
Ruzicka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruzicka?
Name Census estimates that about 2,814 living Americans carry the surname Ruzicka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,803 residents.
How common is Ruzicka?
Ruzicka ranks #12,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,454 people with the surname Ruzicka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,814), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ruzicka.
Has Ruzicka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruzicka went from 2,523 recorded bearers to 2,454. That is a decrease of 69 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,323 to #12,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruzicka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruzicka, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Ruzicka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,270 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruzicka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Ruzicka (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 Ruzicka mean?
A Czech occupational surname referring to a producer or seller of roses, from the Czech word "růžička" meaning "little rose." 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 Ruzicka (0.82 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 many people have the last name Ruzicka?
See how common the surname Ruzicka is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.