Fun Facts About the Name Rut
- 846 babies named Rut: U.S. records list 846 babies given the name Rut from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Rut Mean?
Rut is a form of the biblical name Ruth, written רוּת in Hebrew. The meaning of the Hebrew name is uncertain. The explanation most often repeated connects it to רְעוּת (re'ut), a Hebrew noun for "friendship" or "companionship," built on רֵעַ (rea), "friend" or "companion." That link is reasonable but not proven. Some scholars treat the name as Moabite rather than Hebrew, which would place it outside the Hebrew vocabulary the explanation relies on. Traditional glosses such as "compassionate," "beautiful," or "satisfied" are interpretive readings, not established etymology. The English common noun rut, meaning a groove or worn track, is a separate word with a different origin and no connection to the name.
Rut Name History & Origins
The name comes from the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Ruth is named for a Moabite woman who married into a family from Bethlehem, remained with her mother-in-law Naomi after her husband died, and later married Boaz. In the biblical genealogy she is the mother of Obed and the great-grandmother of King David, and the Gospel of Matthew lists her among the ancestors of Jesus. Her words to Naomi - "Where you go, I will go" - are her best-known lines. In Jewish tradition the book is read in synagogue on Shavuot.
The Hebrew text writes the name as רוּת. The Greek Septuagint transliterated it as Ῥούθ (Routh), and the Latin Vulgate used the form Ruth, which then passed into most European languages. Where the final -h was dropped or the vowel written differently, the name took the form Rut, as in Spanish, Catalan, and Polish Bibles and in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian usage. In English-speaking countries the name appears almost exclusively as Ruth, so Rut belongs chiefly to those other language traditions.
The name spread with the biblical text: because Ruth was an ancestor of David in Jewish tradition and of Jesus in Christian tradition, the name was given to girls in both communities. In Spain and Latin America, Rut is the ordinary form of the biblical name. English Ruth became common in the English-speaking world after the Reformation, when vernacular Bibles made biblical names more widely available; Rut followed the same scriptural source in the languages that used that spelling.
How Popular is the Name Rut?
Rut 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 2009. Its best rank was #4,086 in 2009.
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 | #8,769 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #6,097 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #6,356 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #7,234 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #6,123 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2020 | #7,503 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #7,284 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #7,353 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #6,244 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #5,104 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2015 | #6,930 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #5,961 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2013 | #5,119 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2012 | #4,942 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2011 | #4,893 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2010 | #4,581 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2009 | #4,086 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2008 | #5,547 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2007 | #4,548 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2006 | #4,551 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2005 | #5,226 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #6,705 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #4,787 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2002 | #5,851 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2001 | #5,139 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2000 | #4,504 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1999 | #5,173 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1998 | #5,312 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #6,756 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #6,318 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #6,546 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #5,922 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #4,952 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #9,325 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #6,510 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #9,068 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #11,992 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #8,226 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #7,218 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #7,598 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,962 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1984 | #10,077 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #8,759 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #8,044 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #11,735 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #8,764 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #7,120 | 8 | 0.0005% |
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 Rut 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 are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Rut's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rut's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.