Rut
A Hebrew or Russian name meaning "friend" or "red-haired".
Name Census estimates that about 818 living Americans carry the first name Rut. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rut today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rut births was 2009 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rut. 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 Rut with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
818
~ 1 in 419,015 Americans
Peak year
2009
38 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,097
Tracked since 1976
Census
Rut in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,245 people with the first name Rut, which placed it at #10,611 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
#10,611
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,245 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
79.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rut
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rut is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Black (4.8%). 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 Rut 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 Rut at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.3% · 987
- White11.0% · 137
- Black or African American4.8% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 58
- Two or more races0.2% · 3
Popularity
Rut: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rut from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 269 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Rut remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rut 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 Rut during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ruts live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Rut, while New York, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rut
The name Rut has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a biblical name derived from the Hebrew word "re'ut," which means "friend" or "companion." The name is found in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible, where Ruth is a Moabite woman who remains loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi and embraces the Jewish faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rut can be found in the Book of Ruth, which is believed to have been written around the 6th century BCE. In this biblical story, Rut is the central character who exemplifies devotion, loyalty, and virtue. Her name has become synonymous with these qualities.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Rut. One of the most famous was Rut Lindström (1885-1931), a Swedish actress and singer who was popular in the early 20th century. She starred in numerous films and stage productions during the silent film era.
Another notable Rut was Rut Matthys (1913-2008), a Belgian artist and painter known for her abstract expressionist works. She was a prominent figure in the Belgian art scene and had several solo exhibitions throughout her career.
In the realm of literature, Rut Navon (1939-2022) was an Israeli writer and poet who wrote in both Hebrew and English. She published several collections of poetry and was awarded the prestigious Bialik Prize for Literature in 1995.
Rut Biza (born 1962) is a Spanish mathematician and educator known for her contributions to the field of mathematics education. She has authored numerous publications and has been recognized for her work in improving mathematics teaching and learning.
Rut Navarro (born 1996) is a Spanish professional tennis player who has achieved notable success on the WTA Tour. She has won several singles and doubles titles and has represented Spain in prestigious international competitions such as the Olympic Games and the Billie Jean King Cup.
The name Rut, with its biblical origins and associations with loyalty, virtue, and friendship, has been carried by individuals across various fields throughout history. While its popularity may have fluctuated over time, the name continues to hold significance and meaning for those who bear it.
People
Rut + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rut 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
Rut: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rut?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 818 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rut 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 419,015 US residents.
Is Rut a common name?
We classify Rut as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 834 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rut most popular?
The single biggest year for Rut was 2009, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rut is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rut in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,245 people with the name Rut, or 0.41 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,611 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 Rut 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 Rut?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rut leans strongly female. 1,197 people counted with this name were female (96.8%), compared with 40 male bearers (3.2%). 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 Rut?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rut is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Black (4.8%). 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 Rut most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Rut in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (987 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 Rut in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rut a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rut 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 Rut still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rut 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 Rut 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 many people are called Rut?
You can see how many people share the name Rut on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.