Explore the Family Name Rutkowski

The meaning of Rutkowski

Polish: habitational name for someone from any of various places called Rutki or Rutkowice, named with rutak ‘rue’ (see Rutka). Some characteristic forenames: Polish Stanislaw, Casimir, Ryszard, Andrzej, Janusz, Krystyna, Stas, Tadeusz, Wladyslaw, Aloisius, Andrzey, Boguslaw.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Rutkowski in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Rutkowski has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the years. In 2000, this surname ranked at 4776 but by 2010, it dropped to the rank of 5142, representing a 7.66% change. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals carrying the surname marginally increased from 6773 in 2000 to 6805 in 2010, marking a 0.47% rise. Consequently, the proportion per 100k people also fell by approximately 8%, going from 2.51 to 2.31.

20002010Change
Rank#4,776#5,142-7.66%
Count6,7736,8050.47%
Proportion per 100k2.512.31-7.97%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rutkowski

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data presents an interesting analysis for the surname Rutkowski. The data shows an increase in the percentage of Rutkowskis identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic, with a change of 32.73% and 38.46% respectively between 2000 and 2010. Additionally, there was a slight increase, about 18.07%, in the number of people with this surname who identified as belonging to two or more races. On the contrary, there was a minor decline of 0.85% in the white population. The percentage of those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native was already quite small in 2000 and was reported as zero in 2010.

20002010Change
White97.3%96.47%-0.85%
Hispanic1.17%1.62%38.46%
Two or More Races0.83%0.98%18.07%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.55%0.73%32.73%
Black0.09%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.07%0%0%

Rutkowski 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 Rutkowski is Eastern European, which comprises 41.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (23.5%) and French & German (18.7%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Chinese.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Eastern European41.4%
British & Irish23.5%
French & German18.7%
Other16.4%
Rutkowski

Possible origins of the surname Rutkowski

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 Rutkowski have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Poland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Masovian Voivodeship, Poland67.10%
Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland63.80%
Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland62.40%
Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland58.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom57.70%

What Rutkowski 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 Rutkowski is R-M417, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M417 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS3402 and R-L260, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wojciechowski, Wilk, Zielinski, Sikora, Kaminski, Wisniewski, Kucera, Kasper, Wroblewski, Kozak.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rutkowski surname are: H1, U2_3_4_7_8_9, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

rutkowskiPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Rutkowski 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

Rutkowski

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Rutkowski" Surname 44.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Rutkowski

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Rutkowski" Surname 23.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Rutkowski

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Rutkowski" Surname 21.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Rutkowski

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Rutkowski" Surname 16.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Rutkowski?

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 Rutkowski are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Eastern European 60.6%

23andMe Users 57.2%