Popularity of the name Ruth, 1880–2025
Ruth was at its most popular in 1915, when 21,878 girls were given the name: about 1 in 45 girls born in the U.S. that year, ranking #5. In 2025, 1,781 girls were named Ruth, ranking #173. In all, Social Security counts 836,122 girls named Ruth since 1880. Social Security’s records also list 2,779 boys named Ruth.
- Peak year
- 1915
- Rank in 1915
- #5
- Babies in 1915
- 21,878
- Rank in 2025
- #173
- Total since 1880
- 836,122
Where it stands now
In the past decade the name climbed from #291 in 2015 to #173 in 2025: 1,110 girls got it in 2015, and 1,781 in 2025.
Decade by decade
Its best decade was the 1900s, when 51,010 girls were named Ruth, #5 for the decade. It ranked #66 in the 1880s and #187 in the 2020s so far.
Every 20 years in the records: 234 in 1880 (#93), 4,765 in 1900 (#5), 26,102 in 1920 (#5), 8,888 in 1940 (#24), 4,943 in 1960 (#97), 1,258 in 1980 (#207), 909 in 2000 (#339) and 1,327 in 2020 (#219).
Highs and lows
The most girls given the name in a single year was 26,102, in 1920. That is not its peak year: Social Security’s records hold more girls for 1920 than for 1915, so the name’s share of births was smaller. Its best rank in any year was #3, first reached in 1893.
Every year
The table lists every year from 1880 to 2025 in which Social Security recorded at least 5 girls named Ruth, with the name’s rank that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 234 | #93 |
| 1881 | 275 | #84 |
| 1882 | 323 | #80 |
| 1883 | 387 | #73 |
| 1884 | 442 | #74 |
| 1885 | 506 | #70 |
| 1886 | 581 | #66 |
| 1887 | 627 | #62 |
| 1888 | 850 | #59 |
| 1889 | 1,073 | #46 |
| 1890 | 1,195 | #46 |
| 1891 | 1,857 | #19 |
| 1892 | 3,290 | #5 |
| 1893 | 3,658 | #3 |
| 1894 | 3,372 | #6 |
| 1895 | 3,551 | #6 |
| 1896 | 3,905 | #5 |
| 1897 | 3,878 | #5 |
| 1898 | 4,249 | #5 |
| 1899 | 3,912 | #5 |
| 1900 | 4,765 | #5 |
| 1901 | 3,974 | #5 |
| 1902 | 4,384 | #5 |
| 1903 | 4,517 | #5 |
| 1904 | 4,900 | #5 |
| 1905 | 5,068 | #5 |
| 1906 | 5,140 | #5 |
| 1907 | 5,573 | #5 |
| 1908 | 6,180 | #4 |
| 1909 | 6,509 | #4 |
| 1910 | 7,212 | #5 |
| 1911 | 8,003 | #5 |
| 1912 | 11,280 | #5 |
| 1913 | 12,609 | #5 |
| 1914 | 15,839 | #5 |
| 1915 | 21,878 | #5 |
| 1916 | 23,189 | #5 |
| 1917 | 23,568 | #5 |
| 1918 | 25,535 | #5 |
| 1919 | 24,562 | #5 |
| 1920 | 26,102 | #5 |
| 1921 | 25,783 | #5 |
| 1922 | 23,633 | #5 |
| 1923 | 23,637 | #6 |
| 1924 | 23,601 | #6 |
| 1925 | 22,247 | #6 |
| 1926 | 20,225 | #6 |
| 1927 | 19,412 | #6 |
| 1928 | 17,859 | #6 |
| 1929 | 16,021 | #8 |
| 1930 | 14,942 | #10 |
| 1931 | 13,132 | #11 |
| 1932 | 12,257 | #11 |
| 1933 | 11,136 | #13 |
| 1934 | 10,565 | #13 |
| 1935 | 9,988 | #15 |
| 1936 | 9,217 | #16 |
| 1937 | 9,602 | #15 |
| 1938 | 9,303 | #21 |
| 1939 | 9,062 | #22 |
| 1940 | 8,888 | #24 |
| 1941 | 8,863 | #28 |
| 1942 | 9,315 | #33 |
| 1943 | 9,370 | #33 |
| 1944 | 8,674 | #32 |
| 1945 | 8,046 | #33 |
| 1946 | 8,474 | #38 |
| 1947 | 8,482 | #44 |
| 1948 | 7,903 | #45 |
| 1949 | 7,651 | #47 |
| 1950 | 7,128 | #49 |
| 1951 | 7,076 | #53 |
| 1952 | 6,953 | #57 |
| 1953 | 6,582 | #62 |
| 1954 | 6,566 | #66 |
| 1955 | 6,187 | #70 |
| 1956 | 6,075 | #77 |
| 1957 | 5,667 | #84 |
| 1958 | 5,247 | #90 |
| 1959 | 5,057 | #97 |
| 1960 | 4,943 | #97 |
| 1961 | 4,896 | #96 |
| 1962 | 4,294 | #104 |
| 1963 | 3,869 | #113 |
| 1964 | 3,640 | #114 |
| 1965 | 3,231 | #118 |
| 1966 | 2,845 | #128 |
| 1967 | 2,420 | #145 |
| 1968 | 2,151 | #149 |
| 1969 | 1,900 | #168 |
| 1970 | 1,817 | #178 |
| 1971 | 1,629 | #190 |
| 1972 | 1,383 | #201 |
| 1973 | 1,273 | #201 |
| 1974 | 1,299 | #195 |
| 1975 | 1,230 | #199 |
| 1976 | 1,198 | #205 |
| 1977 | 1,192 | #212 |
| 1978 | 1,208 | #212 |
| 1979 | 1,202 | #216 |
| 1980 | 1,258 | #207 |
| 1981 | 1,267 | #207 |
| 1982 | 1,178 | #222 |
| 1983 | 1,121 | #223 |
| 1984 | 1,165 | #222 |
| 1985 | 1,116 | #232 |
| 1986 | 1,084 | #238 |
| 1987 | 1,031 | #248 |
| 1988 | 997 | #256 |
| 1989 | 987 | #273 |
| 1990 | 907 | #305 |
| 1991 | 985 | #285 |
| 1992 | 855 | #319 |
| 1993 | 861 | #308 |
| 1994 | 882 | #308 |
| 1995 | 853 | #320 |
| 1996 | 802 | #346 |
| 1997 | 857 | #333 |
| 1998 | 853 | #342 |
| 1999 | 875 | #343 |
| 2000 | 909 | #339 |
| 2001 | 951 | #326 |
| 2002 | 906 | #334 |
| 2003 | 897 | #344 |
| 2004 | 915 | #349 |
| 2005 | 908 | #347 |
| 2006 | 892 | #363 |
| 2007 | 964 | #344 |
| 2008 | 929 | #355 |
| 2009 | 916 | #354 |
| 2010 | 934 | #345 |
| 2011 | 907 | #355 |
| 2012 | 931 | #338 |
| 2013 | 993 | #327 |
| 2014 | 1,064 | #305 |
| 2015 | 1,110 | #291 |
| 2016 | 1,103 | #295 |
| 2017 | 1,213 | #264 |
| 2018 | 1,251 | #261 |
| 2019 | 1,351 | #231 |
| 2020 | 1,327 | #219 |
| 2021 | 1,579 | #187 |
| 2022 | 1,668 | #179 |
| 2023 | 1,604 | #187 |
| 2024 | 1,787 | #171 |
| 2025 | 1,781 | #173 |
How these numbers are counted
Social Security publishes, for every year since 1880, how many babies of each sex were given each name, counting any name given to at least 5. A name’s rank is its place that year among names for the same sex, by number of babies. Names with the same count share a rank here, while Social Security’s own lists break ties alphabetically, so a rank can differ from theirs by a place or two. A name’s share is the number of babies given it divided by all babies of that sex in the data that year, and its peak is the year that share was highest. Shares rather than counts set the peak, because far more babies were born in some years than others: counting babies alone would pull nearly every name’s peak toward the 1946–1964 baby boom.
Source: the U.S. Social Security Administration’s national baby name data, from Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S. A name is left out of a year when fewer than 5 babies of one sex got it, and counts before about 1937 are incomplete, because many people born then never applied for a card. See how Baby Boom builds its data. Figures may contain errors.