Girls' name · peaked in 1915
Ruth name popularity since 1925
452,246 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ruth. Half of them were born in 1942 or earlier, so the typical Ruth is about 84 years old in 2026. Ruth peaked in 1915 as the #5 name for girls, and it ranked #173 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 452,246
- Named Ruth, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1915
- #5 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #173
- for girls in 2025 (1,781 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% girls
- 450,516 girls · 1,730 boys
- Most popular in
- West Virginia
- 1.99× its national share
Peak year is the year Ruth made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ruth births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Ruth peaked earlier, in 1915.
- Steepest fall: Between 1965 and 1970, Ruth's share of baby girls fell by 43%, from 1 in 546 to 1 in 962.
- Fastest rise: Between 2016 and 2021, it became 1.5× more common, from 1 in 1,610 baby girls to 1 in 1,040.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Ruth's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ruth.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ruth in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 95,764 | 379 | – |
| 1930s | 109,204 | 560 | #15 |
| 1940s | 85,666 | 300 | #33 |
| 1950s | 62,538 | 130 | #70 |
| 1960s | 34,189 | 139 | #118 |
| 1970s | 13,431 | 85 | #199 |
| 1980s | 11,204 | 108 | #233 |
| 1990s | 8,730 | 24 | #321 |
| 2000s | 9,187 | 5 | #347 |
| 2010s | 10,857 | 0 | #291 |
| 2020–25 | 9,746 | 0 | #173 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
43.6% of babies named Ruth from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Ruth is most popular
The index compares Ruth's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ruth.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 1.99× | 7,937 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.74× | 40,152 |
| Iowa | 1.51× | 8,717 |
| Vermont | 1.49× | 1,128 |
| Maine | 1.48× | 2,865 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ruth's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ruth.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ruth (1915).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data