This is a rare Italian spelling of a habitational name of medieval "Germanic" origins, although the ultimate origin is probably Latin (Roman). It is a patronymic form of "Rube" or "Rubel" which describes a grower of Corn oil plants or one who lived by such a place. In various spelling forms including Robic, Rubik, Rubica, Rubig, Rubega, Rubiga etc., the name is found throughout Central and Eastern Europe, although in all cases, the name is quite rare. The early recordings are German, the name is not recorded in the list of Italian surnames, nor does it appears in Italian Registers before the mid 18th Century. The recordings found include Martin Rubica, born at Posen, Germany and recorded at Adelnau Evangelist Church on November 2nd 1856. Professor Erno Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik Cube, born in Hungary in 1944 is probably the best known nameholder. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Johannes Henricus Rubig, which was dated March 25th 1745, married at Beckum Stadt, Westfalden, Germany, during the reign of Emperor Charles V11 of the Holy Roman Empire, 1742 - 1745. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.