Meaning not yet researched.
Ruth: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 1,781 in 2025. Its best rank was #3 in 1893.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #3 in 1893; #173 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Ruth in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#173 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1893, at #3.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Ruth: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 1,781 girls in 2025. Peak: #3 in 1893 · most girls in one year: 26,102 (1920).
In 2025, 1,781 US girls were named Ruth, making it the 173rd most common girls’ name of the year, down 1 place from #172 in 2024. That is 6 fewer than the 1,787 girls named Ruth in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #3, reached in 1893. The most girls given the name in a single year was 26,102, in 1920. For comparison, it was #291 in 2015 and #49 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Ruth in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 234 babies with the name. In all, 838,901 US babies have been given the name, 99.6% of them girls and 0.3% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 219,217 babies named Ruth.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 14,664 US girls were named Ruth; the busiest of those years was 2024, with 1,787. In 2025 that was about 1 in 902 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Ruth ranked highest in North Dakota in 2025, at #35 for girls there. It was in the top 100 in 6 states (counting DC). Related spellings in the SSA files include Ruthie (22,656 babies since 1880), Rutha (2,799 babies since 1880) and Ruthe (1,949 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Rut, Ruta and Roth are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Ruthie.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in Dutch, English and German. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Rut (846), Ruta (322), Roth (220), Ruot (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 5 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 18 | #35 | — |
| South Dakota | 15 | #60 | — |
| Idaho | 27 | #65 | — |
| Minnesota | 67 | #72 | #246 |
| Indiana | 67 | #89 | #245 |
| Utah | 47 | #91 | #392 |
| Wisconsin | 47 | #103 | #205 |
| Iowa | 31 | #103 | #267 |
| Oregon | 33 | #104 | #171 |
| Kansas | 30 | #107 | #330 |
| New Hampshire | 12 | #109 | — |
| Nebraska | 19 | #118 | #219 |
| Washington | 55 | #122 | #259 |
| Maine | 9 | #129 | — |
| Alabama | 35 | #129 | #253 |
| Arkansas | 23 | #130 | #356 |
| Kentucky | 31 | #144 | #238 |
| North Carolina | 70 | #145 | #227 |
| Oklahoma | 26 | #148 | #238 |
| Virginia | 51 | #158 | #354 |
| South Carolina | 30 | #159 | #248 |
| Hawaii | 6 | #160 | — |
| Ohio | 69 | #160 | #301 |
| Tennessee | 48 | #161 | #233 |
| Montana | 7 | #164 | #210 |
| Michigan | 52 | #165 | #456 |
| Missouri | 38 | #166 | #323 |
| Colorado | 35 | #169 | #437 |
| Maryland | 30 | #175 | #179 |
| Mississippi | 15 | #177 | #417 |
| Louisiana | 24 | #178 | #434 |
| Georgia | 57 | #185 | #277 |
| New York | 89 | #186 | #319 |
| District of Columbia | 5 | #187 | #175 |
| Pennsylvania | 59 | #195 | #242 |
| Massachusetts | 28 | #204 | #287 |
| Texas | 167 | #204 | #299 |
| Delaware | 5 | #217 | — |
| Connecticut | 15 | #237 | #492 |
| Arizona | 27 | #269 | #357 |
| New Jersey | 30 | #283 | #425 |
| California | 115 | #285 | #404 |
| Illinois | 35 | #309 | #291 |
| Florida | 58 | #320 | #377 |
| West Virginia | 5 | #362 | — |
| Nevada | 6 | #499 | #439 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,781 | #173 | — | — |
| 2024 | 1,787 | #172 | — | — |
| 2023 | 1,604 | #187 | — | — |
| 2022 | 1,668 | #179 | — | — |
| 2021 | 1,579 | #187 | — | — |
| 2020 | 1,327 | #219 | — | — |
| 2019 | 1,351 | #231 | — | — |
| 2018 | 1,251 | #261 | — | — |
| 2017 | 1,213 | #264 | — | — |
| 2016 | 1,103 | #295 | — | — |
| 2015 | 1,110 | #291 | — | — |
| 2014 | 1,064 | #307 | — | — |
| 2013 | 993 | #327 | — | — |
| 2012 | 931 | #340 | — | — |
| 2011 | 907 | #355 | — | — |
| 2010 | 934 | #345 | — | — |
| 2009 | 916 | #354 | — | — |
| 2008 | 929 | #356 | 5 | #14,211 |
| 2007 | 964 | #344 | — | — |
| 2006 | 892 | #363 | — | — |
| 2005 | 908 | #347 | — | — |
| 2004 | 915 | #350 | — | — |
| 2003 | 897 | #344 | — | — |
| 2002 | 906 | #334 | — | — |
| 2001 | 951 | #326 | — | — |
| 2000 | 909 | #339 | — | — |
| 1999 | 875 | #344 | — | — |
| 1998 | 853 | #342 | — | — |
| 1997 | 857 | #334 | — | — |
| 1996 | 802 | #346 | — | — |
| 1995 | 853 | #321 | 6 | #8,676 |
| 1994 | 882 | #309 | — | — |
| 1993 | 861 | #308 | 5 | #9,896 |
| 1992 | 855 | #319 | — | — |
| 1991 | 985 | #285 | 5 | #9,346 |
| 1990 | 907 | #305 | 8 | #6,305 |
| 1989 | 987 | #273 | 12 | #4,480 |
| 1988 | 997 | #256 | 14 | #3,673 |
| 1987 | 1,031 | #249 | 9 | #4,887 |
| 1986 | 1,084 | #238 | 13 | #3,615 |
| 1985 | 1,116 | #233 | 9 | #4,626 |
| 1984 | 1,165 | #223 | 11 | #3,889 |
| 1983 | 1,121 | #223 | 11 | #3,828 |
| 1982 | 1,178 | #222 | 15 | #3,078 |
| 1981 | 1,267 | #207 | 6 | #6,104 |
| 1980 | 1,258 | #207 | 8 | #4,860 |
| 1979 | 1,202 | #216 | 8 | #4,776 |
| 1978 | 1,208 | #212 | 11 | #3,566 |
| 1977 | 1,192 | #212 | 8 | #4,501 |
| 1976 | 1,198 | #205 | 11 | #3,443 |
| 1975 | 1,230 | #199 | 5 | #6,163 |
| 1974 | 1,299 | #195 | 5 | #5,861 |
| 1973 | 1,273 | #201 | 14 | #2,693 |
| 1972 | 1,383 | #201 | — | — |
| 1971 | 1,629 | #190 | 12 | #2,946 |
| 1970 | 1,817 | #178 | 11 | #3,036 |
| 1969 | 1,900 | #168 | 8 | #3,540 |
| 1968 | 2,151 | #149 | 8 | #3,321 |
| 1967 | 2,420 | #145 | 15 | #2,120 |
| 1966 | 2,845 | #128 | 11 | #2,598 |
| 1965 | 3,231 | #118 | 12 | #2,450 |
| 1964 | 3,640 | #114 | 17 | #2,027 |
| 1963 | 3,869 | #113 | 17 | #2,034 |
| 1962 | 4,294 | #104 | 22 | #1,749 |
| 1961 | 4,896 | #96 | 12 | #2,518 |
| 1960 | 4,943 | #97 | 17 | #2,025 |
| 1959 | 5,057 | #97 | 12 | #2,510 |
| 1958 | 5,247 | #90 | 13 | #2,349 |
| 1957 | 5,667 | #84 | 20 | #1,829 |
| 1956 | 6,075 | #77 | 13 | #2,351 |
| 1955 | 6,187 | #70 | 17 | #1,965 |
| 1954 | 6,566 | #66 | 8 | #3,136 |
| 1953 | 6,582 | #62 | 9 | #2,875 |
| 1952 | 6,953 | #57 | 17 | #1,929 |
| 1951 | 7,076 | #53 | 11 | #2,478 |
| 1950 | 7,128 | #49 | 10 | #2,554 |
| 1949 | 7,651 | #47 | 21 | #1,658 |
| 1948 | 7,903 | #45 | 14 | #2,100 |
| 1947 | 8,482 | #44 | 25 | #1,515 |
| 1946 | 8,474 | #38 | 30 | #1,295 |
| 1945 | 8,046 | #33 | 18 | #1,622 |
| 1944 | 8,674 | #32 | 32 | #1,188 |
| 1943 | 9,370 | #33 | 42 | #1,050 |
| 1942 | 9,315 | #33 | 43 | #1,034 |
| 1941 | 8,863 | #28 | 39 | #1,045 |
| 1940 | 8,888 | #24 | 36 | #1,105 |
| 1939 | 9,062 | #22 | 50 | #884 |
| 1938 | 9,303 | #21 | 43 | #975 |
| 1937 | 9,602 | #15 | 49 | #891 |
| 1936 | 9,217 | #16 | 43 | #947 |
| 1935 | 9,988 | #15 | 52 | #880 |
| 1934 | 10,565 | #13 | 65 | #770 |
| 1933 | 11,136 | #13 | 52 | #868 |
| 1932 | 12,257 | #11 | 76 | #717 |
| 1931 | 13,132 | #11 | 60 | #814 |
| 1930 | 14,942 | #10 | 70 | #770 |
| 1929 | 16,021 | #8 | 70 | #770 |
| 1928 | 17,859 | #6 | 68 | #795 |
| 1927 | 19,412 | #6 | 91 | #675 |
| 1926 | 20,225 | #6 | 73 | #758 |
| 1925 | 22,247 | #6 | 77 | #753 |
| 1924 | 23,601 | #6 | 71 | #807 |
| 1923 | 23,637 | #6 | 62 | #870 |
| 1922 | 23,633 | #5 | 73 | #788 |
| 1921 | 25,783 | #5 | 58 | #930 |
| 1920 | 26,102 | #5 | 54 | #945 |
| 1919 | 24,562 | #5 | 63 | #830 |
| 1918 | 25,535 | #5 | 47 | #982 |
| 1917 | 23,568 | #5 | 50 | #907 |
| 1916 | 23,189 | #5 | 55 | #853 |
| 1915 | 21,878 | #5 | 46 | #923 |
| 1914 | 15,839 | #5 | 46 | #787 |
| 1913 | 12,609 | #5 | 33 | #850 |
| 1912 | 11,280 | #5 | 43 | #647 |
| 1911 | 8,003 | #5 | 29 | #573 |
| 1910 | 7,212 | #5 | 35 | #469 |
| 1909 | 6,509 | #4 | 17 | #673 |
| 1908 | 6,180 | #4 | 20 | #578 |
| 1907 | 5,573 | #5 | 15 | #694 |
| 1906 | 5,140 | #5 | 19 | #542 |
| 1905 | 5,068 | #5 | 20 | #522 |
| 1904 | 4,900 | #5 | 15 | #609 |
| 1903 | 4,517 | #5 | 13 | #651 |
| 1902 | 4,384 | #5 | 17 | #533 |
| 1901 | 3,974 | #5 | 15 | #528 |
| 1900 | 4,765 | #5 | 16 | #645 |
| 1899 | 3,912 | #5 | 9 | #771 |
| 1898 | 4,249 | #5 | 15 | #566 |
| 1897 | 3,878 | #5 | 20 | #435 |
| 1896 | 3,905 | #5 | 12 | #667 |
| 1895 | 3,551 | #6 | 7 | #966 |
| 1894 | 3,372 | #6 | 15 | #535 |
| 1893 | 3,658 | #3 | 12 | #606 |
| 1892 | 3,290 | #5 | 12 | #632 |
| 1891 | 1,857 | #19 | — | — |
| 1890 | 1,195 | #46 | 5 | #1,133 |
| 1889 | 1,073 | #46 | — | — |
| 1888 | 850 | #59 | — | — |
| 1887 | 627 | #62 | 5 | #1,046 |
| 1886 | 581 | #66 | — | — |
| 1885 | 506 | #70 | 5 | #1,076 |
| 1884 | 442 | #74 | — | — |
| 1883 | 387 | #74 | — | — |
| 1882 | 323 | #80 | — | — |
| 1881 | 275 | #84 | — | — |
| 1880 | 234 | #93 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).