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Ruffin Family History

Ruffin Surname Meaning

English and French: from the Old French personal name Ruffin from Latin Rufinus a diminutive of Rufus ‘red’ borne by several early Christian saints including a 3rd-century martyr of Soissons and a 4th-century Church Father. Compare Ruffo.

English: nickname from Middle English ruffine (Old French rufin) ‘reddish’ for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.

English: possibly also a nickname from Middle English ruffin ‘fiend devil’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Ruffin family from?

You can see how Ruffin families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ruffin family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ruffin families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 15 Ruffin families living in Devon. This was about 45% of all the recorded Ruffin's in United Kingdom. Devon had the highest population of Ruffin families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ruffin surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Ruffin ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Ruffin. 100% of Ruffin women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Ruffin | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Ruffin family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 37,000 census records available for the last name Ruffin. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ruffin census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Ruffin

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Ruffin. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Ruffin immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Ruffin. For the veterans among your Ruffin ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ruffin military records

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What is the average Ruffin lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Ruffin life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Ruffin in 1940 was 59, and 67 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ruffin

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Ruffin ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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