Boy · #2,162 in 2026

Ruger

Name: Popularity of the name Ruger in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Ruger, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., better known by the shortened name Ruger, is an American firearm manufacturing company based in Southport, Connecticut, with production facilities also in Newport, New Hampshire; Mayodan, North Carolina; and Prescott, Arizona. The company was founded in 1949 by Alexander McCormick Sturm and William B. Ruger and has been publicly traded since 1969.

Current Rank

#2,162

Peak Rank

#1,141 (2016)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-39%

2016

First Year

2020

Last Year

2016

Peak Year

#14326

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ruger

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

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

Ruger's MK II 22/45 target pistol. Sturm, Ruger & Company was founded by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm in 1949 in a small rented machine shop in Southport , Connecticut . Just before their partnership, Bill Ruger had successfully duplicated two Japanese "baby" Nambu pistols in his garage, from a captured Nambu that he acquired from a returning Marine , at the close of World War II . When it came to designing the Company's first product, Bill Ruger designed a semi-auto pistol that incorporated the looks of the German 9mm Luger P08 and the American Colt Woodsman into their first

The Story of Ruger

Ruger first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1993, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 167 Rugers were born — ranking #1,149 that year. As of 2026, Ruger ranks #2,162 for baby boys with 69 births, falling sharply (-39%). In total, more than 2K Rugers have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Ruger

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

Rigor
Rager
Rigger
Rugger
Rigueur
Reger
Rieger
Regar
Regur
Reiger
Reagor
Rocker

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ruger

What does the name Ruger mean?

How popular is Ruger in 2026?

In 2026, Ruger ranks #2,162 among boys' names in the U.S., with 69 babies given the name that year.

When was Ruger most popular?

Ruger reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #1,141 that year with 167 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Ruger most popular?

Ruger has historically been most popular in Montana, Oklahoma, West Virginia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ruger.

Is Ruger a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Ruger?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ruger include Bernell, Duaine, Ayven. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Ruger

Ruger is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1993 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Ruger's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #1,141. Use the chart and map above to compare Ruger's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

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.