Ruggles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ruggles came to England with the ancestors of the Ruggles family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Ruggles family lived in Suffolk. Their name, however, is a reference to Rugles, a village in the department of Eure, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1 The name Rudgely is of the same derivation and shares its coat of arms with the Ruggles family.

Early Origins of the Ruggles family

The surname Ruggles was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Ruggles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ruggles research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1575 and 1622 are included under the topic Early Ruggles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruggles Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Ruggle, Ruggles and others.

Early Notables of the Ruggles family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ruggles Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruggles Ranking

In the United States, the name Ruggles is the 6,679^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Ruggles migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Ruggles or a variant listed above:

Ruggles Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Frances Ruggles, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Boston
Mr. John Ruggles who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Boston
Jeffrey Ruggles, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet. 3
Miss Ruggles who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet. 4
Mrs. Margaret Ruggles who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet. 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ruggles Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Ruggles, who settled in Boston in 1716

Ruggles Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Ruggles, aged 20, who landed in New York in 1812 3
E W Ruggles, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 3

Ruggles migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ruggles Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Timothy Ruggles U.E. from Massachusetts, USA who settled in North Mountain, Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia c. 1784 he served in the King's American Dragoons, married to Bathesheba Bourne having 7 children, he died in 1795 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Ruggles (post 1700) +

Timothy Ruggles (1711-1795), American military leader, jurist and politician
Samuel Bulkley Ruggles (1800-1881), American lawyer and founder of Gramercy Park in NYC
David Ruggles (1810-1849), American abolitionist
Charles "Carl" Sprague Ruggles (1876-1971), American composer, member of the American Five
John Ruggles (1789-1874), American politician, U.S. Senator from Maine
Charles Sherman Ruggles (1886-1970), American comic actor
George D. Ruggles, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Lewis County, 1828-29, 1834, 1837 6
Francis H. Ruggles, American politician, Member of New York State Senate 8th District, 1847; U.S. Consul in Kingston, 1863-65 6
Eli Ruggles, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Brookfield, 1824, 1826, 1843 6
E. S. Ruggles, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 26th District, 1875-77 6
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html