Rudy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Rudy

What does the name Rudy mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Rudy comes from the family having resided in Rudyard, Staffordshire. The place-name Rudyard means "yard where rue was grown" derived from the Old English words rude + geard. 1

Rue is a perennial evergreen shrub common in Europe with yellow flowers. The plant is psychoactive; the leaves of the shrub were used as a stimulant in the Middle Ages. The leaves were noted for their strong smell and bitter taste.

Early Origins of the Rudy family

The surname Rudy was first found in Staffordshire at Rudyard, a small village west of Leek on the shores of Rudyard Lake. The lake is quite recent, built in 1797 by the engineer John Rennie, for the Trent and Mersey Canal company. 2

But the placename dates back to at least 1002 when it was listed as Rudegeard, yet a few years later it was listed as Rudierd in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 At that time, it was part of the Pirehill Hundred and owned by the King. 3

William de Rodyard, de Rodiard, or de Rudyard (c.1275- c. 1349) was an English-born juristy and cleric. He held office as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He was also Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, and briefly Deputy Lord Treasurer of Ireland. He was the first Chancellor of the Medieval University of Dublin. He is generally thought ot have been born in Rudyard, Staffordshire.

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), the famous English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist was born in India but his parents named their son after the village.

Early History of the Rudy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rudy research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1030, 1066, 1572, 1620, 1621, 1630, 1640, 1648, 1658, 1682, 1683 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Rudy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rudy Spelling Variations

Rudy has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Rudyard, Rudgard, Rudyer and others.

Early Notables of the Rudy family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir Benjamin Rudyerd (Rudyard) (1572-1658), an English poet and politician, sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1648, one of the incorporators of the Providence Company (1630...

Rudy Ranking

In the United States, the name Rudy is the 5,181^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Rudy migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Rudys to arrive on North American shores:

Rudy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Daniel Rudy, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1760 5
Joggi Rudy, who landed in America in 1772 5
Nicholas Rudy, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1775 5

Rudy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johannes Rudy, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 5
Henrich Rudy, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 5
Anna Rudy, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 5
John Rudy, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 5
Antonia Rudy, aged 21, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rudy (post 1700) +

Rudy Hunziker (b. 1946), Swiss architect and author
Rudy Abbott (1940-2022), American college baseball coach who served as head coach of the Jacksonville State Gamecocks baseball team from 1970 to 2001, TAAC Coach of the Year in 1997
Rudy del Rosario (1969-2020), Filipino football coach and footballer
Rudy Salas, American politician, Member of the California State Assembly
Rudy Rotta (1950-2017), Italian blues guitarist
Rudy Van Gelder (b. 1924), American jazz recording engineer
Rudy Blazek, American associate professor of mathematics at the University of Southern California
Rudy Coby, nicknamed "Labman", an American comedic magician
Rudy Gobert (b. 1992), French professional basketball player
Rudy Franchi (b. 1939), American writer and editor on film theory and film criticism

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)