Ruthine
A feminine name derived from Ruth, of Hebrew origin meaning "friend" or "companion".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Ruthine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ruthine today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ruthine births was 1932 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ruthine. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ruthine is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ruthines were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ruthine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1932
7 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,950
Tracked since 1932
Popularity
Ruthine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ruthine from the 1930s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ruthine 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 Ruthine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ruthine
The given name Ruthine is a feminine form of the name Ruth, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. The name Ruth is derived from the Hebrew word "re'ut," meaning friend or companion. It is a name that carries deep biblical significance, as it was the name of a prominent figure in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament.
Ruthine can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as a variant of the name Ruth. During this period, it was not uncommon for names to be modified or altered, resulting in unique spellings and variations. Ruthine was likely a creative adaptation of Ruth, possibly influenced by other names ending with the "-ine" suffix.
While the name Ruthine does not have a direct connection to any ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots can be traced back to the biblical figure of Ruth. The Book of Ruth tells the story of a Moabite woman who remained loyal to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and eventually married Boaz, becoming an ancestor of King David and, by extension, Jesus Christ.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ruthine can be found in the United States Census records from the late 19th century. Notable individuals who bore the name Ruthine include Ruthine Goldberg (1900-1962), an American artist and designer known for her textile work, and Ruthine Benson Crews (1907-1987), an American educator and civil rights activist.
Other historical figures with the name Ruthine include Ruthine Fry (1913-1997), an American tennis player who competed in the 1930s and 1940s, and Ruthine Lamb (1896-1990), an American politician who served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives in the 1940s.
Additionally, Ruthine Ridley (1919-1967) was an American blues singer and songwriter who was active in the 1940s and 1950s, known for her powerful vocal style and for contributing to the development of the Chicago blues sound.
While the name Ruthine may not be as common as its root name Ruth, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, from art and education to sports and politics.
People
Ruthine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ruthine 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
Ruthine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ruthine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ruthine 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Ruthine a common name?
We classify Ruthine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 24 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ruthine most popular?
The single biggest year for Ruthine was 1932, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ruthine is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Ruthine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ruthine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ruthine 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 Ruthine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ruthine 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 Ruthine 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Ruthine as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Ruthine, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.