Meaning and history
Ruth comes from the Hebrew name Rut, probably meaning "female friend." In the Old Testament, Ruth is a Moabite widow who remains loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi, marries Boaz in Bethlehem and becomes an ancestor of King David. The name entered wider Christian use after the Protestant Reformation; notable bearers include U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and anthropologist Ruth Benedict.
20062006: 892 births, rank #363
2007: 964 births, rank #344
2008: 929 births, rank #355
2009: 916 births, rank #354
2010: 934 births, rank #345
20112011: 907 births, rank #355
2012: 931 births, rank #338
2013: 993 births, rank #327
2014: 1,064 births, rank #305
2015: 1,110 births, rank #291
20162016: 1,103 births, rank #295
2017: 1,213 births, rank #264
2018: 1,251 births, rank #261
2019: 1,351 births, rank #231
2020: 1,327 births, rank #219
20212021: 1,579 births, rank #187
2022: 1,668 births, rank #179
2023: 1,604 births, rank #187
2024: 1,787 births, rank #171
20252025: 1,781 births, rank #173
Ruth moved from #172 to #173 for girls between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1920, with 26,102 births.