ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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1924

First Year

2010

Last Year

1991

Peak Year

#7430

Peak Rank

46

Total Count

8

Years Active

🌍

## Meaning & Origin of Rubia

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Rubia is the type genus of the Rubiaceae family of flowering plants, which also contains Coffea (coffee). It contains around 80 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and subshrubs native to the Old World.

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubia) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubia)

🏛️Origin & history

Several species, such as Rubia tinctorum in Europe, Rubia cordifolia in India, and Rubia argyi in East Asia, were extensively cultivated from antiquity until the mid nineteenth century for red dye, commonly called madder . Cloth dyed with it has been found on Egyptian mummies . It was the ereuthedanon ( ἐρευθέδανον ) used for dyeing the cloaks of the Libyan women in the days of Herodotus . It is the erythrodanon ( ἐρυθρόδανον ) of Pedanius Dioscorides , who wrote of its cultivation in Caria , and of Hippocrates , and the Rubia of Pliny . R. tinctorum was extensively cultivated in south Europe,

[![Wikipedia thumbnail for Rubia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Rubia_tinctorum_002.JPG/330px-Rubia_tinctorum_002.JPG)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubia)

📖

## The Story of Rubia

American parents first put Rubia on the record books as a baby girl name in 1924, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 11 Rubias were born — ranking #7,430 that year. About 67% of every Rubia on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Rubia last appeared in the published SSA data in 2010, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 46 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

🎶

## Names that sound like Rubia

Phonetically similar names — useful when Rubia is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Arabia](/arabia)
* [Rubio](/rubio)
* [Rabia](/rabia)
* Rabbia
* [Ruby](/ruby)
* Rubies
* [Aruba](/aruba)
* [Rubi](/rubi)
* [Rubie](/rubie)
* [Ruba](/ruba)
* Rupiah
* [Rubina](/rubina)

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Rubia

What does the name Rubia mean?

Rubia is the type genus of the Rubiaceae family of flowering plants, which also contains Coffea (coffee). It contains around 80 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and subshrubs native to the Old World.

How popular is Rubia in 2026?

In 2026, Rubia ranks #16,991 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Rubia most popular?

Rubia reached its peak popularity in 1991, ranking #7,430 that year with 11 babies given the name.

Is Rubia a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Rubia is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Rubia?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Rubia include Vivan, Rhina, Delisia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

## Similar Names

[👧VivanPeak #7430](/vivan)[👧RhinaPeak #7430](/rhina)[👧DelisiaPeak #7430](/delisia)[👧MagallyPeak #7430](/magally)[👧CheniquaPeak #7430](/cheniqua)[👧ShalecePeak #7430](/shalece)[👧KanetraPeak #7430](/kanetra)[👧ShareecePeak #7430](/shareece)

## About the name Rubia 

Rubia is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1924 and has accumulated 46 births in the dataset. Rubia's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #7,430\. Use the chart and map above to compare Rubia's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1991 → ](/year/1991)
* [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s)
* [ Names starting with "R" → ](/letter/r)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
* Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.