Fun Facts About the Name Ruba
- 518 babies named Ruba: U.S. records list 518 babies given the name Ruba from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ruba Mean?
Ruba is an Arabic feminine name built on the root r-b-w, whose central sense is rising, growing, or being lifted up. The related noun rubwa (plural rubā) means "hill" or "high ground," and that is the meaning usually attached to the name. The same root yields the verb rabā, "to grow, increase," and the noun tarbiya, "upbringing" or "nurturing," so the name is sometimes described more broadly as "growth" or "elevation." That wider sense is a symbolic extension of the root rather than a second origin; the literal meaning is a raised or elevated place.
Ruba Name History & Origins
Ruba belongs to the Arabic naming tradition and is used mainly in the Levant, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula, as well as among Muslim families in South Asia. Its root is old and productive in Arabic. The common noun rabwa ("high ground, hill") appears in the Quran (23:50), where Mary and Jesus are given refuge on a rabwa with springs. That verse uses the word as a place noun, not as a personal name, but it shows how long the root has carried the idea of elevation. The name itself corresponds to the plural form rubā, "hills."
Because the root also covers growth and increase, the name sits alongside words such as rabā ("to grow") and tarbiya ("upbringing"), which is the source of the occasional gloss "growth." The name is borne by contemporary figures in the Arab world and its diaspora, including the Syrian-Canadian filmmaker Ruba Nadda and the Jordanian novelist Ruba Saqr.
How Popular is the Name Ruba?
Ruba has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1996. Its best rank was #3,751 in 1919.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,082 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2024 | #10,893 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #17,133 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #12,038 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #8,378 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #10,124 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #7,650 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #12,283 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #8,698 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #10,706 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #10,727 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #7,990 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #7,680 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #8,549 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #16,391 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #13,221 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #12,252 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #9,961 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #8,917 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #9,173 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #12,778 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #6,704 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #7,503 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #8,193 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #8,628 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #11,563 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #10,162 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #6,641 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #8,880 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #5,242 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1995 | #7,415 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #6,582 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #7,373 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #7,928 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #9,183 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #5,484 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #10,587 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #8,224 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #9,572 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #12,367 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #12,047 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #7,978 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #7,870 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #6,757 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #11,734 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #11,732 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #11,060 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1930 | #5,139 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1925 | #5,644 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1919 | #3,751 | 8 | 0.0007% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ruba Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Ruba's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ruba's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.