Contents [hide]

Rule History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Rule History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The German surname Rule emerged in the lands that formed the modern state of Lower Saxony, which is presently bordered by the North Sea, the Hartz mountains and the Elbe and Ems rivers.German surnames developed at a time when most of Lower Saxony, and most of the German provinces, were states of the Holy Roman Empire. At first people used only a single name, but as the population grew and people began to travel, they began to find it necessary to take on an additional name to more clearly identify themselves. Fairly general principles guided the development of hereditary surnames in Lower Saxony. Two of the common types of family names found in Prussia are patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The surname Rule derived from the given name Rudolf. The name Ruehle was adopted by a town near Meppen and Holzmunden in East Friesland near the Dutch border.

Early Origins of the Rule family

The surname Rule was first found in East Friesland, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. They branched into many houses, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power. The name is thought to have originated as a short form of Rudolf. A town near Meppen and Holzmunden in East Friesland took on the name Ruehle, and this region near the Dutch border is probably the place of origin for many of the branches bearing this name.

Early History of the Rule family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rule research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1743, 1761, 1789 and 1847 are included under the topic Early Rule History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rule Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ruhle, Ruhler, Ruehle, Ruhle, Ruehler, Ruele, Ruelle, Ruhl, Rule, Rulle, Ruler, Ruller, Roul, Rool, Roole, Rooler, Roohler, Roohle, Ruel, Ruehle and many more.

Early Notables of the Rule family

Notables of the time included Jacob Ruehle, the father of the above mention brothers Johann and Georg, who was a Doctor of Law and mayor of the city Koenigsberg in East Prussia. Other prominent descendents of this line include Jacob Heinrich Ruehle (d.1789) who became a Senator of Frankfurt...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rule Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rule Ranking

In the United States, the name Rule is the 5,649^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Rule migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rule Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Dorothy Rule, who landed in Virginia in 1639 2
Anthony Rule, who settled in Virginia sometime between 1671 and 1672
Thomas Rule, who arrived in Virginia in 1679

Rule Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicholas Rule, who settled in New York in 1710
Judith Rule, who landed in Virginia in 1711 2
Peter Rule, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Adventurer John Davies" 2
James Rule, who arrived in Virginia sometime between 1734 and 1735

Rule Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Rule, aged 47, who arrived in Vermont in 1812 2
James Rule, aged 47, who landed in Massachusetts in 1813 2
John Rule, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1819
Mr. Henry Rule, (b. 1810), aged 26, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 11th May 1836 3
Mrs. Elizabeth Rule, (b. 1807), aged 29, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 11th May 1836 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rule Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Willie Rule, (b. 1896), aged 5, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1901 en route to Silver Bow County, Montana, USA 4
Miss Ida Rule, (b. 1891), aged 10, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1901 en route to Silver Bow County, Montana, USA 4
Mr. Albert Rule, (b. 1899), aged 2, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1901 en route to Silver Bow County, Montana, USA 4
Mrs. Annie Rule, (b. 1871), aged 30, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1901 en route to Silver Bow County, Montana, USA 4
Mr. Eddie Rule, (b. 1893), aged 8, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1901 en route to Silver Bow County, Montana, USA 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rule migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rule Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Mr. Samuel Rule, (b. 1858), aged 45, American miner returning from Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 1st August 1903 en route to British Columbia, Canada 4

Rule migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Rule Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Rule, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
John Rule, a sawyer, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
James Rule, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 6
Thomas Rule, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 6
Edwin Rule, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Bruce" in 1846 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rule migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Rule Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Rule, aged 27, a miner, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Roxburgh" in 1840 8
James Oliver Rule, aged 11 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Roxburgh" in 1840 8
Mrs. Sarah Rule, (b. 1843), aged 19, Cornish settler departing on 2nd September 1862 aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 9
Mr. William Henry Rule, (b. 1841), aged 21, Cornish farm labourer departing on 2nd September 1862 aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 9
Mr. William Henry Rule, (b. 1841), aged 21, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rule 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. 11

Rule Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. William Rule, aged 20 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Rule (post 1700) +

Herbert C. Rule III (1935-2023), American lawyer and politician, Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives (1966)
Albert "Bert" Lyman Rule (b. 1891), American composer & arranger
Bobby Frank Rule (1944-2019), American NBA basketball player center who played from 1967 to 1974
Ann Rae Rule (1931-2015), née Stackhouse, an American true crime author of The Stranger Beside Me, the true story of her co-worker Ted Bundy
William Rule (1839-1928), American newspaper editor and politician, founder of the Knoxville Journal
Janice Rule (1931-2003), American actress
Jane Vance Rule CM OBC, (1931-2007), American-born, Canadian writer
Jack Rule Jr. (b. 1938), American PGA professional golfer
Elton Rule (1916-1990), American television executive, former president of the American Broadcasting Company
Christopher Rule (1895-1983), American comic book artist, the first regular Marvel Comics inker
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rule family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Albert Henry Rule (d. 1945), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 12

RMS Titanic

Mr. Samuel James Rule, aged 58, English Bathroom Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 15 13

Citations +

"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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Buckinghamshire.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY BRUCE 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846LadyBruce.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html