Ruth
Top 1000
About Ruth
Ruth, with its air of calm and compassion, was the third most popular name in the 1890s, remaining in the Top 10 through the 1920s. It's still in use today as some parents tiring of Rachel and Rebecca are giving Ruth a second thought. Some see such Old Testament girls’ names as Ruth and Esther rising on the heels of boy equivalents Abel and Moses.
The biblical Ruth was the loyal and devoted daughter-in-law of Naomi who, when electing to leave her people and stay with the older woman, speaks the famous lines, "Whither thou goest, I will go."
Ruth has had numerous notable namesakes, from Supreme Court justice Ginsburg to crime writer Rendell to sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer.
As of October 2026, Ruth ranked #173 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #3 in 1893, Nameberry popularity #200.
Editor's take: The name Ruth is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "compassionate friend".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #309 | 1,063 | 595.1 |
| 2015 | #292 | 1,109 | 621.3 |
| 2016 | #295 | 1,103 | 622.5 |
| 2017 | #264 | 1,212 | 702 |
| 2018 | #262 | 1,250 | 734.8 |
| 2019 | #231 | 1,351 | 804.9 |
| 2020 | #219 | 1,326 | 820.3 |
| 2021 | #187 | 1,578 | 961.7 |
| 2022 | #179 | 1,666 | 1,015.8 |
| 2023 | #187 | 1,602 | 998.4 |
| 2024 | #172 | 1,767 | 1,090.6 |
| 2025 | #173 | 1,781 | 1,108.1 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Ruth.
- Louise
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- Frances
- Harriet
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- Martha
- Virginia
- Susannah
- Betty
- Greta
- Margaret
- Helen
- Edith
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- Bonnie
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Ruth on lists
Famous Ruths
- Ruth
Biblical daughter,in,law of Naomi
- Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg
U.S. Supreme Court Justice
- Ruth Negga
Irish,Ethiopian actress and Academy Award nominee
- Ruth Cleveland
daughter of U.S. President Grover Cleveland; inspiration for the Baby Ruth bar
- Ruth Wilson
English actress
- Dr. Ruth Westheimer (born Karola Ruth Siegel)
German,American sex therapist
- Ruth Ann Buzzi
American comedienne
- Ruth Fulton Benedict
American anthropologist
- Ruth Carter Stapleton
American Christian author
- Ruth Flora Disney
sister of Walt Disney
- Ruth Malcolmson
Miss America 1924
- Ruth Barbara Rendell
Baroness Rendell of Babergh, aka Barbara Vine, English thriller novelist
- Ruth Bell Graham
wife of evangelist Billy Graham
- Ruth Payne
sister of Liam Payne of boy band One Direction
- Ruth Roman
American actress
- Ruth Crilly
English model and blogger
- Ruth Wendy Langsford
English TV presenter
- Ruth Pointer
singer with American R&B group The Pointer Sisters
- Ruth Weinstein (b. 2002)
daughter of film producer Harvey Weinstein
- Ruth Ray De La luz 'Ruthie Ray' Leonard (b. 2019)
daughter of Bekah Martinez and Grayston Leonard
- Ruth Harkness
American explorer
Ruth in pop culture
- Ruth
eight book in the Bible
- Baby Ruth
candy bar named for Ruth Cleveland
- Ruth
main character in book/movie "Never Let Me Go"
- Ruth Rose
main character in "A,Z Mysteries" by Ron Roy
- Ruth Dead (née Foster)
character in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- Ruth Anne 'Ruthie' Camden
character on TV's '7th Heaven' named after her grandmother Ruth
- Ruth
pirate maid,of,all,work in opera "The Pirates of Penzance"
- Ruth
professional bridesmaid in opera "Ruddigore"
- Ruth Pinch
character in Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit"
- Ruth
Zionist with whom Clarel falls in love in "Clarel" by Herman Melville
- Mrs Ruth Stockwool
companion to Ann Avice Caro in "The Well Beloved" (1897) by Thomas Hardy
- Ruth Jefferson
main character in Jodi Picoult's novel "Small Great Things"
- Ruth Ann Torkelson
character on TV's "The Torkelsons"
- Ruth
Anne Miller, character from TV series "Northern Exposure"
- Ruth
archangel in Ghost Rider comics
- Ruth
character in George Alfred Henty's, The Cat of Bubastes
- Ruth
dragon in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern novels
- Ruth DeWitt Bukater
character in movie "Titanic"
- Ruth O'Connor Fisher
character on TV's "Six Feet Under"
- Ruth Fowler
character on British soap "EastEnders"
- Ruth Evershed
character on British TV's "Spooks"
- Ruth Winters
character on British TV's "Casualty"
- Ruth Martin
mom on TV's "Lassie"
- Ruth Martin
character on soap "All My Children"
- Ruth Osborne
character on British soap "Hollyoaks"
- Ruth Wilkinson
character on Australian soap "Neighbours"
- Ruth Powers
character on TV's "The Simpsons"
- Ruth "Zoya the Destroya" Wilder
character on TV's "GLOW"
- Ruth
American Christian band
- Tina Ruth Belcher
eldest daughter on Fox's "Bob's Burgers"
- "Ruth"
A ballad in William Wordsworth's collection of poems, "Lyrical Ballads"
- ruth fleming
character from “nerdy prudes must die”
Variations & nicknames
- RuthvenScottish
- RutScandinavian
- RútGaelic