The Unruh surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,835 people carried this name — #4,524 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 37,600 people counted. That is up 7% from 7,296 in 2000.

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In Poland’s population register

40 people named Unruh have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 75 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Silesian 20
Warmian-Masurian 10
Opole 8
Greater Poland 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

20 people named Unruh live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Bern.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Bern 7
Zurich 6
Thurgau 4
Schwyz 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In print

Unruh in American newspapers,
1881–1922.

Newspaper page from Der Nordstern carrying the name Unruh
Der Nordstern 1881-10-20
Newspaper page from Capital Journal carrying the name Unruh
Capital Journal 1922-01-31
Newspaper page from Capital Journal carrying the name Unruh
Capital Journal 1921-09-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,857 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Unruh in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1950s.

38 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Unruh. The most, 18, date from the 1880s.

Articles, by state

Victoria 11
New South Wales 10
South Australia 10
ACT (Canberra) 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Unruh.

Who carried it

People named Unruh,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Erasmus Unruh 1576–1628 · jurist
  • George Sigismund von Unruh 1733–1794 · Landrat
  • Hans Heinrich von Unruh 1739–1782 · politician
  • Dietrich Hans Sebastian von Unruh 1748–1794 · Landrat
  • Anselm Rudolph von Unruh 1753–1832 · captain
  • Franz Sales Unruh 1760–1830

Wikidata (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Unruh,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States647 records

647 records of the Unruh name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 398
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 114
  • Other U.S. records 135
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ervin B. Unruh

    Born 1909 in Kansas. Enlisted 1944 at Los Angeles, California, from Los Angeles County, California. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Katharina Unruh

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Lahn from Bremen and Southampton, aged 19; farmer. From Jaroslaw, Russia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Howard Unruh

    Born 1947; from Stevens, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1970 in Cambodia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 647 records for Unruh in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany267 records

267 records of the Unruh name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 254
  • German emigration and citizenship files 13
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Fritz Unruh

    Born 1892; from Königsberg i. Pr. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 28 December 1916.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Martin Unruh

    Emigrated to Poland in 1822.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Tobias Unruh

    Emigrated to Russia in 1835.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)

Showing 3 of 267 records for Unruh in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada21 records

21 records of the Unruh name in Canada
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 6
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 5
  • Other Canadian records 10
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Florence Miller Unruh

    Buried in 1983 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 50.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Anne Unruh

    Died 1972, aged 72; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Victor Allison Unruh

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 21 records for Unruh in Canada.

Counts: Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Netherlands14 records

14 records of the Unruh name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 12
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Bruno Walter Georg Unruh

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1906 in Berlijn.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Bruno Unruh

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1886 in Hirschberg.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Jacob Unruh

    Baptised in 1794 in Grave.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Unruh in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia5 records

5 records of the Unruh name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Antonie Unruh

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Etna, aged 31; Prussian.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Heinrich Unruh

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Etna, aged 23; Prussian.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Walther Unruh

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Etna, aged 4; Prussian.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Unruh in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Unruh name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Eva Maria Unruh

    Born 1928 in Germany; died 1993 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Dora Unruh

    Born 1924 in Germany; died 1992 in Mouzay (Meuse).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Unruh.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Unruh is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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