How common is the surname Rush?

39,802 people in the United States had the surname Rush in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,757 Americans. It ranked 869th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Rush?

Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor (born 1951), followed by Benjamin Rush.

Where is the surname Rush most common?

Wikidata records people named Rush in the United States, Australia and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Is the surname Rush getting more or less common?

More common. 37,470 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,802 in 2010, up 6.2%.

Is Rush also a first name?

Yes. Rush is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Rush

A French patronymic surname, carried by 39,802 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex R200 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Rush is more common than 99.5% of them.

Origin

French origin

* As an English surname, from the noun rush (“waterside plant, plant in marshes”). * Also as an English surname, from the archaic noun rush (“beehive”), from French ruche. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Ruis (literally “descendant of Ros”), a name from ros (“wood”). Sometimes also translated from Ó Luachra due to confusion with luachair (“rushes”), see Loughrey. * Also as an Irish surname, translated/Anglicized from Ó Fuada (literally “descendant of Fuada”), compare Foody, from the noun fuad (“haste”). * As a German surname, Americanized from Rüsch, Ruesch, Rusch.

Rush is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 39,802 people named Rush in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,757 Americans. That is up 6.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 37,470.

#869

rank among US surnames

39,802

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+6.2%

change since 2000 (was #839)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#860	McMillan	40,237	7,673
#861	Small	40,212	7,678
#862	Bentley	40,193	7,682
#863	Felix	40,165	7,687
#864	Peck	40,055	7,708
#865	Lucero	39,986	7,721
#866	Boyle	39,921	7,734

Who is named Rush

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

74% of people named Rush identified as white (not Hispanic), 21% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 74%
Black (not Hispanic) 21%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Rushs

19 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Geoffrey Rush
Australian actor (born 1951)
Benjamin Rush
American physician, educator, and author (1746-1813)
Barbara Rush
American actress (1927–2024)
Otis Rush
American musician (1935–2018)
Stockton Rush
American businessman (1962–2023)
Brandon Rush
American basketball player (born 1985)
Richard Rush
American movie director, scriptwriter, and producer (1929-2021)
Bobby Rush
American politician, born 1946
Matthew Rush
American pornographic actor, born 1972
Deborah Rush
American actress, born 1954
Bobby Rush
American musician, born 1933
Lio Rush
American professional wrestler, born 1994

Notable Rushs come mostly from the United States (17), Australia (1) and the Kingdom of Great Britain (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Rush

Rush has the Soundex code R200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R200.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Rush come from?: * As an English surname, from the noun rush (“waterside plant, plant in marshes”). * Also as an English surname, from the archaic noun rush (“beehive”), from French ruche. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Ruis (literally “descendant of Ros”), a name from ros (“wood”). Sometimes also translated from Ó…
How common is the surname Rush?: 39,802 people in the United States had the surname Rush in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,757 Americans. It ranked 869th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Rush?: In the 2010 Census, 74% of people named Rush identified as white (not Hispanic), and 21% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Rush?: Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor (born 1951), followed by Benjamin Rush.
Where is the surname Rush most common?: Wikidata records people named Rush in the United States, Australia and the Kingdom of Great Britain.
What type of surname is Rush?: Rush is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Rush getting more or less common?: More common. 37,470 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,802 in 2010, up 6.2%.
Is Rush also a first name?: Yes. Rush is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.