Show ContentsRuelas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Ruelas dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Normandy. It is derived from their residence in Normandy. However, the name Ruell is derived from the Old French word ruelle, meaning lane or alley, and indicates that the original bearer lived in such a place.

Early Origins of the Ruelas family

The surname Ruelas was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this eminent family held a family seat in the honor of the seigneurie of Launay. This north country family lived almost exclusively in the provinces of Normandy, Brittany, Picardy, Artois, and Flanders.

Early History of the Ruelas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ruelas research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1452, 1518, 1570, 1625, 1630, 1643, 1658, 1725 and 1785 are included under the topic Early Ruelas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruelas Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Ruelas, including Rueil, Ruel, de Ruel, De Ruel, du Ruel, Du Ruel, Ruell, Ruelle, Ruelles, Desruelles, de Ruell, De Ruell, Rueil, Rueill, Roulier and many more.

Early Notables of the Ruelas family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Pierre de la Rue (c.1452-1518), a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance; Pieter de Ruelles (1630-1658), a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter who died young; and Charles de La Rue (1643-1725), known in Latin as Carolus Ruaeus, one...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ruelas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruelas Ranking

In the United States, the name Ruelas is the 5,478th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1]


United States Ruelas migration to the United States +

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Ruelas were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Ruelas were

Ruelas Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Gonzalo Ruelas, who arrived in America in 1813 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Ruelas (post 1700) +

  • Gustavo Adrián Ruelas Aguilar (b. 1991), American soccer player who has played for both Mexican and US national teams
  • Rafael Ruelas (b. 1971), Mexican former professional boxer from Yerbabuena, Jalisco, IBF Lightweight Boxing Champion (19 February 1994–6 May 1995)
  • Gabriel Ruelas (b. 1970), Mexican former professional boxer from Yerbabuena, Jalisco who had 56 fights with 49 wins, brother of Rafael Ruelas
  • Julio Ruelas (1870-1907), Mexican graphic artist, painter, draughtsman and printmaker
  • Rafael Ruelas (1971-1994), Mexican professional boxer, IBF Lightweight boxing champion (1994-1995)


  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)


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