2000
#10,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,695
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Ruark
An English surname derived from the Old Norse personal name Hrókr, meaning "rook" (the bird) or "heap" (of stones).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,944 Americans carry the last name Ruark. That puts it at #11,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,425 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruark 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
2.9K
1 in 116,425
Census rank
#11,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,567 bearers of the surname Ruark in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruark, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruark
The surname Ruark is believed to have originated in Ireland, derived from the Gaelic name O'Ruairc or O'Rourke. This name is thought to have been derived from the ancient Irish words "O" meaning "descendant of" and "Ruairc" which was a personal name meaning "red king" or "red-haired."
The O'Rourke family were once powerful lords in the Irish province of Connacht and held sway over parts of what is now County Leitrim and County Roscommon. They trace their ancestry back to the legendary king Fergal O'Rourke who lived in the 7th century AD. The name Ruark is a anglicized form of this ancient Irish name.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Ruark surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The name appears in an entry from 1171 which mentions a certain "Tiarnan O'Ruairc" who was then the King of Breifne.
The surname Ruark has also been associated with various place names in Ireland such as Lough Rourke in County Leitrim and Ballyrourke in County Laois. These places likely derive their names from the O'Rourke clan who once held lands in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Ruark include Robert Ruark (1915-1965), an American author and conservationist best known for works like "Something of Value" and "The Old Man and the Boy." Another was Ralph Ruark (1919-1982), an American television personality and game show host.
Edward T. Ruark (1922-2005) was an American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. Mary Jane Ruark (1847-1916) was an American religious leader and founder of the Bible Missionary Church. And John Ruark (1819-1887) was a member of the Virginia secession convention in 1861 and later served in the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruark
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruark, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruark 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 Ruark surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,337
- Two or more races4.4% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruark
Ruark 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
#11,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,690
-5 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 798 places
2020
#11,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,567
-123 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,855 | 2,695 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,653 | 2,690 | 0.91 | -5 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 798 places |
| 2020 | #11,682 | 2,567 | 0.86 | -123 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 29 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 Ruark 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 | #11,653 | #11,682 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,690 | 2,567 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.86 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruark bearers went from 2,690 to 2,567 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,653 to #11,682.
FAQ
Ruark surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruark?
Name Census estimates that about 2,944 living Americans carry the surname Ruark. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,425 residents.
How common is Ruark?
Ruark ranks #11,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,567 people with the surname Ruark. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Ruark.
Has Ruark become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruark went from 2,690 recorded bearers to 2,567. That is a decrease of 123 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,653 to #11,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruark?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruark, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Ruark in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,337 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruark appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Ruark (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 Ruark mean?
An English surname derived from the Old Norse personal name Hrókr, meaning "rook" (the bird) or "heap" (of stones). 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 Ruark (0.86 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 Ruark?
Find out how many people are called Ruark on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.