Ruth
Ruth is a common female given name, noted from Ruth, the eponymous heroine of the Book of Ruth.
- English
- German
- Dutch
- Swedish
Meaning & Origin of Ruth
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ruth is a common female given name, noted from Ruth, the eponymous heroine of the Book of Ruth.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- German
- Dutch
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Estonian
- Spanish
- Biblical
- Biblical Latin
- Limburgish
The Story of Ruth
The earliest SSA record of Ruth as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 234 babies received it. 1920 was its biggest year on record, with 26,102 newborns named Ruth — #5 in the national rankings. About 26% of every Ruth on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ruth ranks #161 for baby girls with 1,841 births, rising sharply (+29% over the past five years). All told, over 838K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Ruth
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ruth. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Ruth
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Ruth Abeles (born 1942), Israeli Olympic gymnast
- Ruth Adler (1944–1994), human rights and child welfare advocate
- Ruth Amos (born 1989), British entrepreneur and inventor
- Ruth Anderson (disambiguation) , several people
- Ruth Asawa (1926–2013), American sculptor and arts education advocate
- Ruth Aspöck (born 1947), Austrian writer
- Ruth Baldacchino (born 1979), LGBTQIA activist
- Ruth Becher (born 1956), Austrian politician
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Ruth
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ruth is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ruth
What does the name Ruth mean?
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How popular is Ruth in 2026?
When was Ruth most popular?
In which U.S. states is Ruth most popular?
Is Ruth a unisex name?
What names go well with Ruth?
What are nicknames or variants of Ruth?
About the name Ruth
Ruth is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 838K births in the dataset. Ruth's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #3. Use the chart and map above to compare Ruth's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.