Explore the Family Name Ruggles
The meaning of Ruggles
English (Essex): variant of the now extinct surname Ruggle, with post-medieval excrescent -s. The origin of Ruggle is uncertain. It could be a variant of the Suffolk and Essex name Ricold with voicing of /k/ to /g/ and the same vowel change as seen in Smoothy for Smithey (another Suffolk and Essex name) and in Puckering for Pickering. History: The founder of this influential American family was Thomas Ruggles (1584–1644) of Sudbury, Suffolk, England, who settled in Roxbury, MA, in 1637.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ruggles in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ruggles saw a minor decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname fell from 6158th place in 2000 to 6494th place in 2010, indicating a drop of approximately 5.46%. However, the actual count of individuals with the Ruggles surname increased by 2.03% during this same timeframe, rising from 5124 to 5228. Despite this increase in count, the proportion of individuals named Ruggles per 100,000 people experienced a slight decline of 6.84%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,158 | #6,494 | -5.46% |
| Count | 5,124 | 5,228 | 2.03% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.9 | 1.77 | -6.84% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ruggles
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Ruggles also changed somewhat between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as white, although this percentage slightly decreased from 96.35% to 95.77%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic increased by 19.32%, albeit from a much smaller base. The percentage of individuals identifying as Black doubled, but again from a very small base. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native both saw decreases of approximately 40.82% and 12.20% respectively. Lastly, individuals identifying with two or more races increased by 34.62%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.35% | 95.77% | -0.6% |
| Hispanic | 1.76% | 2.1% | 19.32% |
| Two or More Races | 0.78% | 1.05% | 34.62% |
| Black | 0.21% | 0.42% | 100% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0.36% | -12.2% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.49% | 0.29% | -40.82% |
Ruggles ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Ruggles is British & Irish, which comprises 55.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (28.0%) and Eastern European (5.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.0% |
| French & German | 28.0% |
| Eastern European | 5.2% |
| Other | 11.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Ruggles
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Ruggles have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
What Ruggles haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Ruggles is R-Z209, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z209 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-L51, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Huddleston, Jauregui, Harlan, Perron, Wenger, Bernier, Nadeau, Loomis, Maness, Bourke.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ruggles surname are: H1, U2_3_4_7_8_9, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Ruggles have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Ruggles" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Ruggles" Surname 16.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Ruggles" Surname 17.5%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Ruggles" Surname 13.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Ruggles?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Ruggles are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition