# Rule (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/rule/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,236 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,573 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 49,510 people |
| Change since 2000 | +6.7% (5,843 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Rule in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 83% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 8.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Rule in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Rule

- Janice Rule, American actress (1931–2003)
- Ann Rule, American true crime writer (1931–2015)
- Bob Rule, American basketball player (1944–2019)
- Margaret Rule, British archaeologist (1928-2015)

## Similar surnames

Ruhl, Rouleau, Ruel, Ruley, Ruyle, Rulo, Riley, Reilly, Rowell, Rowley, Royal, Real.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.