Ruffin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Ruffin surname is derived from the Latin personal (first) name Rufinus, which gained early popularity as the name of a few minor Saints.
Early Origins of the Ruffin family
The surname Ruffin was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1203 when they held estates.
Early History of the Ruffin family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ruffin research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1296, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Ruffin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Ruffin Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Ruffin, Ruffyn, Ruffie, Ruffey, Ruffy, Ruffing and many more.
Early Notables of the Ruffin family
Distinguished members of the family include
- the Ruffin family of Kent
Ruffin Ranking
In the United States, the name Ruffin is the 1,416th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Ruffin is ranked the 2,250th most popular surname with an estimated 2,849 people with that name. 2
Ruffin migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Ruffin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Eliz Ruffin, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 3
- Robert Ruffin, who settled in Virginia in 1679
Ruffin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Hans Ruffin, aged 7, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 3
- Elesbat Ruffin, aged 12, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 3
- Anna Maria Ruffin, who landed in South Carolina in 1749 3
- Catharina Ruffin, who arrived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1753 3
Ruffin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Ruffin, who was on record in Philadelphia in 1811
- Santiago Ruffin, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Ruffin (post 1700) +
- Josephine Ruffin, American civil rights leader
- David Ruffin, American Motown singer who was one of the lead singers with "The Temptations"
- Edmund Ruffin, Confederate farmer and slaveholder from Virginia
- Edmund Ruffin (1794-1865), American wealthy Virginia planter who served in the Virginia Senate from 1823 to 1827
- François Amable Ruffin, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 4
- Bruce Ruffin, Reggae singer
- William Ruffin Cox (1831-1919), American Democratic Party politician, District Judge in North Carolina 4th District, 1874-75; U.S. Representative from North Carolina 4th District, 1881-87 5
- Ruffin Golson Pleasant (1871-1937), American politician, 36th Governor of Louisiana from 1916–1920
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/
- 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)
- Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, September 9) François Ruffin. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html