2000
#839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,470
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.89
Uncommon Last name
Rush
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or worked with rushes, such as a basket maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,948 Americans carry the last name Rush. That puts it at #918 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rush 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 Rush with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 7,981
Census rank
#918
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,453 bearers of the surname Rush in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 918th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rush, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rush
The surname Rush is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "rysc," meaning a rush or reed plant, which was commonly found in marshy areas. The name was likely adopted as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a rush-covered area or worked with rushes in some capacity.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Rush is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a William le Russh is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the connection to the Old English word "rysc." In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, with an entry for a Richard le Russhe.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Rush was John Rush, a prominent English landowner who lived in the 15th century. He was recorded as owning lands in Middlesex and Essex in the latter part of the 1400s.
Another notable historical figure with the surname Rush was Benjamin Rush, an American physician and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in 1746 and played a significant role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.
In the 16th century, the surname Rush was found in various parts of England, with concentrations in counties such as Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. The name was also present in the nearby counties of Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.
The surname Rush has been associated with several place names in England, such as Rush Green in Essex, Rush Court in Worcestershire, and Rush Farm in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "rysc," indicating areas where rushes grew in abundance.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rush include Sir William Rush, an English politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1681. In the literary world, Benjamin Rush, an American writer and physician, was born in 1745 and is known for his works on medical topics and his involvement in the American Revolution.
Geoffrey Rush, the acclaimed Australian actor, is another well-known bearer of the surname. Born in 1951, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, for his performances in films such as "Shine" and "The King's Speech."
Throughout history, the surname Rush has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, physicians, politicians, and artists, reflecting its enduring presence and the diverse backgrounds of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rush
Among Census respondents with the surname Rush, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rush 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 Rush surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.1% · 26,617
- Black or African American20.2% · 7,580
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,581
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,209
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 237
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 229
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rush
Rush 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
#869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,802
+2,332 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 13.49
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,453
-2,349 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 12.53
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #839 | 37,470 | 13.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #869 | 39,802 | 13.49 | +2,332 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #918 | 37,453 | 12.53 | -2,349 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 49 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 Rush 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 | #869 | #918 | -5.6% |
| Count | 39,802 | 37,453 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 13.49 | 12.53 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rush bearers went from 39,802 to 37,453 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #869 to #918.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rush
FAQ
Rush surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rush?
Name Census estimates that about 42,948 living Americans carry the surname Rush. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,981 residents.
How common is Rush?
Rush ranks #918 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,453 people with the surname Rush. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,948), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Rush.
Has Rush become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rush went from 39,802 recorded bearers to 37,453. That is a decrease of 2,349 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #869 to #918.
What does the Census say about the background of Rush?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rush, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rush in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.1% (26,617 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rush appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.1%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Rush (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 Rush mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or worked with rushes, such as a basket maker. 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 Rush (12.53 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 Americans have the surname Rush?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.