Rettie
An English feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps related to "red".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Rettie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rettie today is around 110 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rettie births was 1892 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rettie. 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
- • The typical person named Rettie is about 110 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Retties were born before 1926.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rettie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1892
12 babies that year
Average age
110
years old
1920 SSA rank
#3,893
Tracked since 1880
Origin
Meaning and history of Rettie
The name Rettie is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English word "hræd," meaning "quick" or "swift." It likely originated as a nickname for someone with a swift or agile demeanor.
The earliest recorded use of the name Rettie dates back to the 16th century in Scotland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Rettie Forsyth, born in 1587 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
In the 17th century, Rettie Livingston was a notable figure who lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was known for her involvement in local politics and community affairs.
In the 18th century, Rettie McGregor, born in 1734 in Inverness, Scotland, was a renowned herbalist and healer, renowned for her knowledge of medicinal plants and her ability to treat various ailments.
Moving into the 19th century, Rettie Urquhart, born in 1812 in the Highlands of Scotland, was a celebrated poet and writer whose works celebrated the beauty of the Scottish landscape and the rich cultural heritage of her homeland.
Finally, in the 20th century, Rettie Ross, born in 1920 in Glasgow, Scotland, was a pioneering female engineer who made significant contributions to the field of civil engineering and was recognized for her work in designing and constructing bridges and infrastructure projects throughout Scotland.
While the name Rettie has Scottish roots, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries with strong historical ties to Scotland.
People
Rettie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rettie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rettie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rettie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rettie 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Rettie a common name?
We classify Rettie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 163 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rettie most popular?
The single biggest year for Rettie was 1892, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rettie is about 110 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rettie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rettie in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.