Baruti
Teacher or scholar, of African origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Baruti. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Baruti today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Baruti births was 1978 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Baruti. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Baruti. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1978
6 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1978 SSA rank
#5,122
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Baruti: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Baruti by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Baruti during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Baruti
The name Baruti has its origins in the Swahili language, spoken primarily in East Africa. The name is derived from the Arabic word "barut," which means gunpowder or explosive. It is believed that the name came into use during the 19th century, as the demand for gunpowder and firearms increased in the region.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Baruti can be found in the diaries of British explorer Sir Richard Burton, who traveled extensively in East Africa in the mid-19th century. He documented several encounters with individuals bearing the name, which he described as a common Swahili name.
Historically, the name Baruti was often associated with warriors, hunters, and traders involved in the acquisition or use of gunpowder and firearms. In some cases, it was also used as a title or honorific for individuals skilled in the handling of these materials.
The earliest recorded bearer of the name Baruti is believed to be a Swahili trader and explorer named Baruti bin Amri, who lived in the late 18th century and was known for his extensive travels across East Africa. His legacy is celebrated in several Swahili folklore tales and oral traditions.
Another notable figure with the name Baruti was Baruti Kandili, a 19th-century Swahili merchant and diplomat from Zanzibar. He played a crucial role in facilitating trade relations between the Sultanate of Zanzibar and various European powers, and his name is mentioned in several historical accounts from the period.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the name Baruti was Baruti Kasambala, a Tanzanian politician and activist. He was a prominent figure in the country's independence movement and served as a member of the Tanzanian parliament for several years.
Another individual of note was Baruti Mwingiza, a renowned Swahili poet and scholar from Kenya, who lived from 1920 to 2005. His works, which explored themes of culture, identity, and social commentary, are widely studied and celebrated in the region.
The name Baruti has also been associated with religious figures, particularly within the Sufi tradition in East Africa. One such figure was Baruti Msabaha, a 19th-century Sufi mystic and teacher from Zanzibar, who was known for his spiritual teachings and influence on the local Muslim community.
People
Baruti + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Baruti as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Baruti: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Baruti?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Baruti going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Baruti a common name?
We classify Baruti as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Baruti most popular?
The single biggest year for Baruti was 1978, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Baruti is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Baruti in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Baruti a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Baruti in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Baruti still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Baruti in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Baruti can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Baruti as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Baruti, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.