Rubi
A feminine given name of Spanish origin meaning "ruby".
Name Census estimates that about 8,657 living Americans carry the first name Rubi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rubi today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rubi births was 2005 (716 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rubi. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Rubi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
8.7K
~ 1 in 39,593 Americans
Peak year
2005
716 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
1992 SSA rank
#1,096
Tracked since 1957
Census
Rubi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 9,656 people with the first name Rubi, which placed it at #2,518 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,518
National first-name rank
People counted
9.7K
9,656 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
90.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rubi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rubi is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Rubi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Rubi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.6% · 8,747
- White4.7% · 454
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 260
- Black or African American1.3% · 126
- Two or more races0.6% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Rubi
Out of the 8,836 babies given the name Rubi since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Rubi as a male name
- Ranked #8,260 in 1992
- 6 male births in 1992
- Peak: 1990 (8 births)
Rubi as a female name
- Ranked #1,096 in 2024
- 224 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2005 (716 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rubi leans strongly female. 9,508 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 146 male bearers (1.5%).
Popularity
Rubi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rubi from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 3,425 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Rubi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rubi 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 Rubi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rubis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 33 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Rubi, while Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 217 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rubi
The name Rubi originates from the Latin word "ruber," meaning "red." It is believed to have been derived from the Hebrew name "Ruby," which is also associated with the red gemstone of the same name. The earliest recorded use of the name Rubi dates back to the Middle Ages in various European regions.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Rubi can be found in a 13th-century Italian manuscript, where it was used to describe a woman with fiery red hair. This connection to the color red and its association with passion and vibrancy may have contributed to the name's popularity during that time period.
In ancient Hebrew texts, the word "rubin" is mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel, where it is described as one of the precious stones adorning the high priest's breastplate. This biblical reference may have influenced the name's adoption in certain religious and cultural contexts.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Rubi. One such person was Rubi Quintavalle (c. 1150-1235), an Italian woman who was one of the first followers of St. Francis of Assisi and a member of the Order of Poor Ladies, later known as the Poor Clares.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rubi Hernandez (1892-1965), a Mexican-American labor leader and civil rights activist who played a significant role in the struggle for farmworkers' rights in the United States.
In the literary world, Rubi Singh (1927-1986) was a renowned Indian poet and writer who wrote extensively in the Punjabi language and is considered one of the pioneers of modern Punjabi poetry.
The name Rubi also has a connection to the performing arts. Rubi Khanam (1909-1958) was a celebrated Indian singer and actress who was widely acclaimed for her contributions to the classical music tradition of Hindustani and her performances in several Bollywood films.
Lastly, Rubi Dee (1924-2005) was an American actress and singer who had a prolific career spanning over six decades, appearing in numerous Broadway productions, films, and television shows.
These historical figures and their diverse backgrounds highlight the global reach and enduring popularity of the name Rubi, which continues to be celebrated for its vibrant and captivating connotations.
People
Rubi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rubi 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
Rubi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rubi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,657 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rubi 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 39,593 US residents.
Is Rubi a common name?
We classify Rubi as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8,836 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rubi most popular?
The single biggest year for Rubi was 2005, when 716 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rubi is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rubi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 9,656 people with the name Rubi, or 3.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,518 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Rubi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Rubi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rubi leans strongly female. 9,508 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 146 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Rubi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rubi is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Rubi most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Rubi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (8,747 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Rubi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rubi a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Rubi 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.
Is Rubi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rubi 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 Rubi 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.
How common is the name Rubi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.