Explore the Family Name Rusk
The meaning of Rusk
1. Scottish: from Gaelic riasg ‘marsh with sedge’. The surname may be topographic, denoting someone who lived beside a marsh, or habitational, denoting someone who lived at a place so named, such as Risk in Lochwinnoch (Renfrewshire). 2. Probably also an altered form of German Ruske, Roske, diminutives of Rose.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Rusk in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Rusk has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Rusk was ranked as the 6482nd most common surname in the United States, with a total count of 4,832 individuals bearing this name, representing 1.79 individuals per 100,000 population. By 2010, however, it had slipped to the 7117th position, with a total count of 4,701, or 1.59 individuals per 100,000 population. This represents a drop in rank by 9.8% and a decrease in the overall count by 2.71%, reflecting a diminished proportion per 100,000 by 11.17%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,482 | #7,117 | -9.8% |
| Count | 4,832 | 4,701 | -2.71% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.79 | 1.59 | -11.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rusk
The ethnicity associated with the surname Rusk has also seen some changes over this decade, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the surname Rusk identified as White (89.42%), followed by Black (6.6%), Hispanic (1.37%), those of two or more races (1.3%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.93%), and Asian/Pacific Islander at the bottom (0.37%). By 2010, while the White majority remained stable with a slight decrease to 88.87%, there were notable increases in the Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander communities, rising to 2.32% and 0.68% respectively. Simultaneously, there were declines amongst those identifying as Black (down to 6.13%), those of two or more races (down to 1.11%) and American Indian and Alaskan Natives (down to 0.89%).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.42% | 88.87% | -0.62% |
| Black | 6.6% | 6.13% | -7.12% |
| Hispanic | 1.37% | 2.32% | 69.34% |
| Two or More Races | 1.3% | 1.11% | -14.62% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.93% | 0.89% | -4.3% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.37% | 0.68% | 83.78% |
Rusk 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 Rusk is British & Irish, which comprises 53.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.6%) and Eastern European (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.2% |
| French & German | 25.6% |
| Eastern European | 4.4% |
| Other | 16.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Rusk
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 Rusk have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| South Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
What Rusk 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 Rusk is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Cowart, Cady, Burleson, Turney, Whatley, Holcombe, Lockwood, Ostrander, Dunlop, Case.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rusk surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your 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 Rusk 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.
"Rusk" Surname 31.1%
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.
"Rusk" Surname 48.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Rusk" Surname 22.0%
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.
"Rusk" Surname 20.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Rusk?
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 Rusk are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition