Rubie
A feminine name derived from the word "ruby", meaning a precious red gemstone.
Name Census estimates that about 1,794 living Americans carry the first name Rubie. It is a predominantly female name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Rubie today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rubie births was 1921 (156 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rubie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Rubie with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 191,056 Americans
Peak year
1921
156 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1930 SSA rank
#3,431
Tracked since 1884
Census
Rubie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,611 people with the first name Rubie, which placed it at #8,858 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,858
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,611 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
36.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rubie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rubie is White at 36.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Hispanic (25.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Rubie described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Rubie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White36.4% · 586
- Black or African American26.8% · 431
- Hispanic or Latino25.8% · 415
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.3% · 102
- Two or more races4.1% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 11
Gender
Gender distribution for Rubie
Out of the 5,279 babies given the name Rubie since 1880, 99.1% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Rubie as a male name
- Ranked #3,937 in 1930
- 6 male births in 1930
- Peak: 1915 (7 births)
Rubie as a female name
- Ranked #3,431 in 2024
- 46 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1921 (156 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rubie leans strongly female. 1,584 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 27 male bearers (1.7%).
Popularity
Rubie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rubie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,170 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rubie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Rubie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rubies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Texas, Mississippi, Georgia recorded the most babies named Rubie, while West Virginia, New York, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 119 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rubie
The name Rubie is a feminine given name that originated from the Latin word "rubeus," meaning "red" or "ruddy." It is believed to have been derived from the precious gemstone, ruby, which is renowned for its deep red color.
In ancient times, the ruby was highly prized for its rarity and beauty. It was associated with wealth, power, and nobility. The name Rubie may have been given to children born into affluent families or those with a reddish complexion or hair color.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rubie can be found in the 16th century. Rubie Bracegirdle, an English actress, was born in 1671 and gained fame for her performances in Restoration comedies. She was known for her remarkable beauty and was considered a trendsetter in fashion and style during her time.
Another notable figure named Rubie was Rubie Dorine Smith Robinson, an American civil rights activist and educator. Born in 1897, she played a pivotal role in desegregating schools and promoting equal rights for African Americans in the southern United States.
In the literary world, Rubie Bradford was a prominent American writer and journalist. Born in 1918, she published several novels and short stories that explored themes of race, identity, and social justice. Her works shed light on the experiences of African Americans in the 20th century.
The name Rubie also holds significance in the field of music. Rubie Hubert, born in 1933, was an American blues and R&B singer and songwriter. She is best known for her hit song "Caught You Red-Handed," which reached the top of the R&B charts in the 1960s.
In the realm of sports, Rubie Wilson was a trailblazing African American athlete. Born in 1914, she excelled in track and field events and held numerous world records in the sprinting and hurdling disciplines during the 1930s and 1940s.
While the name Rubie may have its roots in the Latin language and gemstone symbolism, it has been embraced across cultures and eras, serving as a reminder of the enduring beauty and strength associated with this vibrant name.
People
Rubie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rubie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rubie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rubie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,794 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rubie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 191,056 US residents.
Is Rubie a common name?
We classify Rubie as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,279 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rubie most popular?
The single biggest year for Rubie was 1921, when 156 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rubie is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rubie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,611 people with the name Rubie, or 0.53 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,858 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Rubie in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Rubie?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rubie leans strongly female. 1,584 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 27 male bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Rubie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rubie is White at 36.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Hispanic (25.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Rubie most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rubie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 36.4% (586 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Rubie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rubie a female name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Rubie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Rubie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rubie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Rubie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Rubie?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Rubie at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.