Ruiz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

The prestigious surname Ruiz originated in Spain, a country which has figured prominently in world affairs for hundreds of years. The name is patronymic in origin, deriving from the name of the father of the initial bearer, and its roots can be traced back to the Visigoths, the Germanic tribe who ruled Spain between the mid-5th and early 8th centuries. Ruiz is derived from the Germanic personal name "Hrodric," which is composed of the elements "hrod," meaning "renown," and "ric," meaning "power." Thus, the name Ruiz combines this personal name with the patronymic suffix "-ez," and refers to "a famous ruler."

Early Origins of the Ruiz family

The surname Ruiz was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times.

Early History of the Ruiz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ruiz research. Another 151 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1194, 1199, 1228, 1300, 1380, 1410, 1440 and 1581 are included under the topic Early Ruiz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruiz Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rodríguez, Rodriguez, Rhodriquez, Rhodriguez, Rodriz, Rodríguiz, Rodriguiz, Rodrigo, Roderiz, Ruderiz, Roiz and many more.

Early Notables of the Ruiz family

Prominent among members of the family

were Pedro Ruiz de Guzmán, majordomo of King Alfonso IX in 1194
Gonzalo Ruiz, who took over the same post in 1199
Gonzalo Ruiz de Cieza, a fourteenth century nobleman
Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, Count of Orgaz and Chancellor of Castile in the early 1300s
Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita and author of the medieval Spanish masterpiece, "Libro de buen amor"
Beatriz Rodríguez de Molina and Mari Ruiz de Piedrola, fifteenth century noblewomen

Ruiz World Ranking

In the United States, the name Ruiz is the 184^th most popular surname with an estimated 134,298 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Ruiz is ranked the 234^th most popular surname with an estimated 15,386 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Ruiz is the 17^th popular surname with an estimated 141 people with that name. 3

Ruiz migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ruiz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mateo Ruiz, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 4
Jose Ruiz, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 4
Felix Ruiz, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1804 4
Jeronimo Ruiz, who landed in America in 1813 4
Marco Ruiz, who arrived in America in 1813 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ruiz 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. 5

Ruiz Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Francisco Ruiz, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1836 4
Alvaro Ruiz, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1837 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ruiz (post 1700) +

Chico Ruiz, American professional baseball player
Aldeano Ruiz, American engineer
Luis J. Ruiz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996 6
Lilia Ruiz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 2008 6
José Francisco Ruiz (1783-1840), American politician, Signer, Texas Declaration of Independence, 1836; Member of Texas Republic Senate from District of Bexar, 1836-37 6
Jesse H. Ruiz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2000; Member, Rules Committee, 2008 6
Israel Ruiz, American politician, Representative from New York 21st District, 1978 6
Gus Ruiz, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Texas State House of Representatives 35th District, 2012 6
Gilbert Ruiz (b. 1945), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 2004 6
Brian P. Ruiz, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 31st District, 2008 6
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ruiz family +

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Enrique Rayales "Henry" Ruiz, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Mrs. Maria Rosaria Bacelina Ruiz, (nee Perea), American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Miss Maria S. "Mary" Ruiz, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Mr. Martin F. Ruiz, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Mr. Raymond Cesario Ruiz, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
... (Another 1 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html