Girl · Hebrew
Ruth
Say it: ROOTH
Meaning
Uncertain. Often linked with Hebrew re'ut 'friendship, companion', but the derivation is doubted.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
A Puritan favourite that peaked in the United States in the early 20th century.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1900s
In the United States
- 830,361 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1909, about 1 in 53 girls
- 1,315 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
| German | Ruth |
|---|---|
| French | Ruth |
| Spanish | Rut |
| Portuguese | Rute |
| Italian | Rut |
| Polish | Rut |
| Hebrew | Rut |
Famous bearers
- Ruth, heroine of the Book of Ruth
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, US Supreme Court justice
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Puritan church and town records of England and New England
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.