2000
#6,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Ruggles
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of rugs, blankets, or other coarse textiles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,663 Americans carry the last name Ruggles. That puts it at #6,586 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,525 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruggles 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ruggles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,525
Census rank
#6,586
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,938 bearers of the surname Ruggles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6586th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruggles, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruggles
The surname Ruggles is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hrug" meaning ridge or hill, and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. It is likely that the name originated as a topographic name referring to someone who lived near a ridge or hill in a clearing.
The name can be traced back to the 12th century, and one of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1176, which mention a Richard de Ruggelea. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to places with similar spellings like "Ruggeleia" and "Ruggeley".
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms such as Ruggele, Ruggelee, and Ruggeleye, reflecting the different spellings used at the time. Some of the earliest recorded instances include Robert de Ruggeleye (1236) and William de Rugge (1275), both found in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire.
The Ruggles surname was well-established in Staffordshire and Shropshire, where it is believed to have originated. Several places in these counties, like Rudge Heath and Rugeley, share a similar root with the surname, indicating a connection to the local geography.
Notable individuals with the surname Ruggles include:
1. Thomas Ruggles (1737-1823), an American lawyer and jurist who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention.
2. Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge (1739-1819), an American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the first president of the Ohio University.
3. George Ruggles (1833-1904), an English-born American architect known for designing several prominent buildings in New York City, including Grace Church and the former Astor Library.
4. Samuel Battey Ruggles (1800-1881), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.
5. Edward Ruggles (1810-1880), an English-born American daguerreotypist and photographer, considered one of the pioneers of photography in the United States.
The surname Ruggles has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, and its connection to geographical features like ridges and clearings is reflected in its etymology. While the name has spread worldwide, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the counties of Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruggles
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruggles, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruggles 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 Ruggles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 4,575
- Two or more races3.3% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 146
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruggles
Ruggles 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
#6,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,228
+104 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 336 places
2020
#6,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,938
-290 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,158 | 5,124 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,494 | 5,228 | 1.77 | +104 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 336 places |
| 2020 | #6,586 | 4,938 | 1.65 | -290 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 92 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 Ruggles 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 | #6,494 | #6,586 | -1.4% |
| Count | 5,228 | 4,938 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.65 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruggles bearers went from 5,228 to 4,938 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,494 to #6,586.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ruggles
FAQ
Ruggles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruggles?
Name Census estimates that about 5,663 living Americans carry the surname Ruggles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,525 residents.
How common is Ruggles?
Ruggles ranks #6,586 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,938 people with the surname Ruggles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ruggles.
Has Ruggles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruggles went from 5,228 recorded bearers to 4,938. That is a decrease of 290 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,494 to #6,586.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruggles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruggles, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ruggles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (4,575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruggles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ruggles (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 Ruggles mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of rugs, blankets, or other coarse textiles. 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 Ruggles (1.65 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 Ruggles?
Want to know how many people are called Ruggles? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.