Show ContentsRueda History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The noble Spanish surname Rueda is toponymic in origin, based on the name of the place where the initial bearer once resided or held land. The surname Rueda is taken directly from the Spanish word "rueda," derived from the Latin "rota," meaning literally "arched wood that forms a bow." The word in Catalan is "roda," also meaning "wheel."

Early Origins of the Rueda family

The surname Rueda was first found in the mountains of Burgos, in the northern regions of the Iberian peninsula. Early records of the name Rueda show that Francisco de Perellos, Carmalengo del Rey, was granted the noble title of Viscount of Rueda by Pedro IV de Aragon in 1366.

Early History of the Rueda family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rueda research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1505 and 1565 are included under the topic Early Rueda History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rueda Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Roda, Rota, Roa, Ruedas and others.

Early Notables of the Rueda family

Prominent among bearers of the Rueda family name at this time was

  • the Spanish writer Lope de Rueda, who was born in Seville about 1505 and died in Cordoba in 1565...

Rueda Ranking

In the United States, the name Rueda is the 7,513rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Rueda migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rueda Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Diego De Rueda, aged 40, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
  • Juan Rueda, aged 34, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1830 2
  • Anto Rueda, aged 46, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1830 2
  • Maria De Rueda, who landed in Peru in 1892 2
  • Francisco De Rueda, who landed in Peru in 1892 2

West Indies Rueda migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3
Rueda Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Martin De Rueda, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1834 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Rueda (post 1700) +

  • Kevin Rueda, retired American soccer goalkeeper
  • Marcos de Torres y Rueda (1591-1649), Spanish bishop of Yucatan
  • Aitor Monroy Rueda, Spanish footballer
  • Lope de Rueda (1510-1565), Spanish dramatist and author
  • Manuel Rueda (b. 1980), Spanish footballer
  • Jesús Rueda (b. 1987), Spanish professional footballer
  • José Manuel Rueda (b. 1988), Spanish footballer
  • Gerardo Rueda (b. 1921), Spanish painter
  • Javier Ruiz Rueda (1909-1993), Mexican composer and writer
  • Julio Jiménez Rueda (1896-1960), Mexican lawyer, writer and playwright
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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