Surname Ruetschi - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'R'
Ruetschi: What does the surname Ruetschi mean?
Ruetschi is a surname of Swiss German origin. The exact meaning of this surname is not widely documented or agreed upon. Typically, Swiss German surnames can be derived from various sources, including occupations, geographical locations, or descriptive nicknames. The surname Ruetschi might be a geographic name derived from several places named Ruetsch or Rüti in Switzerland. Rüti itself comes from the Old High German word "riuti," which means "clearing." Therefore, the surname might suggest ancestral ties to these regions. It is also worth noting that surname meanings may have evolved over centuries and they might not hold significant relevance to the bearers today.
Order DNA origin analysisRuetschi: Where does the name Ruetschi come from?
The surname RUETSCHI is most commonly found in French-speaking parts of Switzerland, Belgium, and France.
The RUETSCHI family can be tracked back to the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland where records from the 1300s show a number of people with the Ruetschi surname. It is thought that the origin of the name lies in the old word “Rùte”, meaning “stream” or “creek”. It is likely that the first Ruetschi families lived near a creek or stream in this area.
The Ruetschi family name remains quite common in the canton of Fribourg and surrounding areas, as well as in parts of Belgium and France. In Switzerland it is the 42nd most common name and in Belgium it is the 41st.
The first Ruetschi to migrate outside of Switzerland and Belgium was Jean-Georges Ruetschi, who, in 1841, emigrated to Midway, Ohio. From there, many of his descendants moved to other parts of the US, including Texas, Kansas, and California.
Today, there are Ruetschis spread all over the world. They are still to be found in Switzerland, Belgium, and France, but also in many other countries such as Germany, Canada, the UK, and the US.
Despite the RUETSCHI name spreading over the last centuries, the largest concentration of people with the name remains in Switzerland and surrounding countries.
Variations of the surname Ruetschi
Rütschi is a surname of Swiss-German origin which is derived from the Middle High German word "rütze" meaning a small vault. Different variants of the name include Ruetschi, Rutsch, Rütschi, Rutz, Rutscher, Rutsche, Rutschen, Rutzsch, Ruttsch, Rüttsch, Rucc, Rutz, Rutzch, and Rutzsch. Consistently, the spelling of the surname changes according to the spelling conventions of the particular region.
In English, it has a variety of spellings such as Root, Rutz, Rootz, Rootsch, Ruto, Rutes, Roots, Rootse, or Rutschel. It is also sometimes anglicised to ‘Roots’, ‘Rutts’ or ‘Rootsy’. In the US, the name is sometimes spelled as Routschi or Routzah.
The name is also found in other parts of Switzerland, particularly in the cantons of Valais and Graubünden, where it is spelled as Rutscher, Rütsch, Rutsch, Rutsche, Rutzsch and Rutz. In Austria, it is spelled as Rutscher, Rutsch, Ruttsch or Rütsch. In the Netherlands, it is spelled as Rutse, Ruttsche and Rüts.
In France, variants of the surname include Rutz, Rutzsch, Rutschel, and Rutschmann or Rutmann. In Germany, variants include Rutz, Rutzsch, Rütsch, Rutscher, and Rutsche.
The surname is also found in other countries, such as Australia, South Africa, Uruguay, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. These countries have spellings such as Rutz, Routsche, and Rutsche.
Overall, the surname can be spelt in numerous different ways, with spelling conventions changing across countries and regions.
Famous people with the name Ruetschi
- Alfred Ruetschi (1886-1958), Swiss painter
- Anne Ruetschi (b. 1948), Swiss media entrepreneur and magazine publisher
- Charles Ruetschi (1866-1941), Swiss zoologist
- Dan Ruetschi (b. 2005), Swiss professional ice hockey player
- Felix Ruetschi (1887-1940), Swiss cartoonist
- Francois Ruetschi (1750-1820), French portrait painter
- Jacqueline Ruetschi (b. 1957), Swiss Olympic alpine skier
- Joseph Ruetschi (1820-1900), Swiss classical composer
- Marco Ruetschi (b. 2004), Swiss professional ice hockey player
- Michele Ruetschi (b. 1965), Swiss slalom canoeist
- Pierre Ruetschi (1860-1930), Swiss architect
- Xavier Ruetschi (b. 1942), Swiss athlete