Biblical and brief, the baby name Ruth is a former Top Ten favorite. Is it ready for revival?
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
BOOK OF RUTH
Ruth has her very own book in the Old Testament.
Her story goes like this: she’s an ordinary girl in Moab, who marries recent Israeli immigrant Mahlon. Mahlon and the rest of his male kin die over the years, and so Mahlon’s mom, Naomi, packs up to return to her home country. She’s not expecting Ruth to leave Moab; in fact, Naomi tells her to stay. But Ruth insists that she’s by her side, come rain or come shine.
Once they’re back in Naomi’s hometown, Ruth marries the wealthy Boaz and they all live happily ever after. Among her descendants? King David himself.
The name comes from a Hebrew word meaning friend – which feels appropriate.
ROYAL RUTH
The Bible gives us a loyal Ruth; there’s a royal Ruth, too.
Princess Ruth served as Royal Governor of the Island of Hawai’i in the mid-1800s.
TOP 100 FAVORITE
In 1853, Elizabeth Gaskell penned Ruth, the tale of a respectable orphaned girl who despite many toils and snares, ultimately leads a virtuous life. A year later, Fanny Fern released Ruth Hall: A Domestic Tale of the Present Time. Her widowed Ruth went on to fame and fortune as a writer.
Were the novels the spark that made Ruth so very popular? It’s hard to say, in those decades before annual data exists.
But we know that Ruth ranked in the Top 100 choice when the US listings were first published in the 1880s.
BABY RUTH
United States president Grover Cleveland and his wife Frances gave the fashionable name to a child born in 1891. The new First Daughter was wildly popular. By 1892, the name ranked #5.
… AND BABE RUTH
A few years later, Ruth went from the White House to the Red Sox, as George Herman Ruth, Jr. – better known as Babe Ruth – started his baseball career in 1914.
As a surname, Ruth isn’t related to the Biblical figure, but to the Middle English word reuthe – pity – which was probably given to those known for their charitable acts.
So … which Ruth gets credit for the candy bar?
The Baby Ruth candy bar came along in 1921. Despite claims that it had been named after Miss Cleveland, odds are that it had more to do with the athlete. Ruth Cleveland passed away from diphtheria in 1904. But in 1921, Babe Ruth was already setting records.
Others claim the candy was named after a company exec’s granddaughter.
What’s certain is that the name remained a Top pick through the 1950s, slowly declining in use, but remaining a popular pick for a daughter.
GINSBURG AND OTHER NOTABLES
Plenty of accomplished women wear the name:
- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appointed in 1993.
- Screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is best known for her work on Howards End and Room With a View.
- The musical Pointer Sisters include firstborn Ruth.
- Dr. Ruth Westheimer became an 1980s icon, well known for her frank talk about sex.
- Ruth Fertel founded the upscale steakhouse chain Ruth’s Chris in 1965.
- Philanthropist Ruth Lilly inherited the Eli Lilly fortune and spent her life giving it away.
Television matriarchs, from Lassie to All My Children to Six Feet Under, have worn Ruth, too, as has a white dragon in Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series.
But none of those references feel especially current. What makes the baby name Ruth ready for revival today?
Over the last decade, Ruth has gained almost 100 spaces in the US Top 1000, reaching #265 in 2018.
But Ruth works for lots of reasons – it’s tailored and traditional. And the ‘oo’ sound appears in favorites like Ruby and Lucy and June.
If you’re disappointed that Eleanor, Alice, and Grace are all so popular, Ruth feels like a logical substitute – easily recognized, but just a little different.
What do you think of the baby name Ruth?
First published on May 3, 2010, this post was updated on May 24, 2020.
Has no one mentioned Ruthie from Seventh Heaven? That actually ruined a name I loved growing up. I loved the show as a kid but found her annoying, haha.
My husband’s grandma is Ruth, the other Ellen, and I think both are lovely choices for a middle name honorific. It’s funny, though, because walking down the halls of her nursing home, it seems just about every second or third door is home to a Ruth name plate.
I’ve always loved the name Ruth. A childhood friend of mine was named Ruth, called Ruthie. So cute. I really like Ruth Anne as a double name, which reminds me of Ruth-Anne from Northern Exposure.
Oh, I loved Ruth-Anne!
Ruth is one of my favorite names and if it was pronounced the same in German, as in English, it would be at the top of my list.
I knew a Ruthanna growing up, have never met another and like it a lot. Ruth on its own has its pluses, but tacking “anna” to it really softens it up.
Ruth is great! My grandma and two of my great aunts are Ruths and I have always loved it. While it was pretty common back in the day I think it sounds both familiar and yet I doubt a little Ruth today would share her name with too many classmates. I also love the many, many amazing women who share this name. Even as a middle choice I think it would be lovely!
I love Ruth. Growing up, a girl named Ruth was one of my best friends. But despite the name’s familiarity, I still really like it and think it has a pleasant, soft sound. It’s one of my daughter’s middles, sandwiched between Roseanna and Adeline.
Roseanna Ruth Adeline is such a beautiful name! Do you pronounce Adeline with a -lynn or a -leen at the end?
Or with a “line” on the end?
We pronounce Adeline with a “line”, although I probably wouldn’t correct someone if they pronounced it with a “leen”. I’m not much of a fan of the “lyn” sound at the end of it. We went with “line” because it works best with our last name :o)
Roseanna Ruth Adeline is just lovely!
Ooo, Ruah is quite pretty 🙂
Both of my husband’s grandmothers have Ruth in their names (one 1st and one middle) so it’s an obvious choice for us. I love the meaning, but it just doesn’t do much for me. His grandmothers other names are Elizabeth and Mary, I can’t tell you how often I wish they shared one of those two lovelies instead. Ruth is ok, just rather bland. I think it could be great in the right combination… but I often find myself wishing that it was Rita, instead.
Have you considered Rue or Ruthie? To me, both are easier to say and go with more names, particularly the short and fun Rue. Just a thought.
Truth! What a good idea! That never occurred to me but I could end up loving it. Thank you very much for that idea!
That is a cool reboot of Ruth!
I have a niece named Ruah … It took me a while to warm to it but now I find it to be lovely. I’m told it’s a Hebrew word for Spirit.
My husband just said, Ruth is the truth… made me think that Truth or True could make another name option for those thinking that Ruth isn’t quite for them – and a decent virtue name too. And they could work on a boy.
Ruth is my middle name and I’m sad to say that I’ve never really cared for it. Paired with my first name I just find it far too vanilla. I think I might like it with something a little more exciting, and at times I’ve actually considered going by Ruthie just to avoid being one of three Sarah’s in the room but I can’t see it ever making it onto my baby name lists 🙁 It’s a shame too with such a lovely biblical story behind it.
Ditto JNE. I do think Ruth has kind of a harsh, naggish sound, but I would much rather see this on a child instead of some of the other tryndee, history-less names being used these days. I went to school with a Ruth. She is in her early 20s. I liked it for her, but its not a name for me or my future children 🙂
I should love Ruth, but I don’t. I find it hard to say in some way (and that Ruth’s Chris? it’s crazy hard to say for me!) Also, one of my husband’s college friends is called Ruth (nn Roo) and I pretty much think of her – she’s lovely, but it’s *her* name. I do like the idea of the nn Roo. And while I would never even consider it for a daughter of mine, I do not mind it at all on others’ kids, and can even understand why it would appeal.