Ruff
Derived from the Old Norse word meaning "shaggy" or "rough-haired".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ruff. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ruff today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ruff births was 1926 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ruff. 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 Ruff. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1926
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1926 SSA rank
#4,728
Tracked since 1926
Popularity
Ruff: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ruff 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 Ruff during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ruff
The name Ruff is thought to have originated from the Old English word "hruf" or "hrufu," meaning "rough" or "coarse." This name likely emerged in Anglo-Saxon England during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 11th centuries CE.
Ruff was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname or surname, referring to a person's physical appearance or perhaps their rough or coarse demeanor. Over time, it transitioned from a surname to a given name in its own right.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ruff comes from the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named "Ruf" in the county of Hertfordshire.
In the 16th century, Ruff appeared as a given name in several historical records. One notable bearer was Ruff Appleton, an English merchant and trader who lived from around 1530 to 1595. He was involved in the Muscovy Company, which established trade routes between England and Russia.
Another historical figure with the name Ruff was Ruff Giddens, an English soldier and explorer who participated in Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th century. He was among the first English settlers in the Colony of Virginia, arriving in 1607.
In the 17th century, Ruff Croft was an English Puritan minister and author, known for his works on theology and religious doctrine. He lived from around 1620 to 1680.
Moving into the 18th century, Ruff Walters was a British naval officer and explorer who served under Captain James Cook. He was part of Cook's voyages in the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779.
In more recent times, Ruff Lowe was a British actor and comedian who lived from 1905 to 1983. He was known for his appearances in various stage productions and television shows in the mid-20th century.
While the name Ruff has waned in popularity in recent decades, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period in England, with various notable bearers throughout the centuries.
People
Ruff + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ruff 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
Ruff: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ruff?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ruff 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 - US residents.
Is Ruff a common name?
We classify Ruff as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ruff most popular?
The single biggest year for Ruff was 1926, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ruff is about 0 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 Ruff in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ruff a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ruff 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 Ruff still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ruff 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 Ruff 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 are called Ruff?
You can see how many people share the name Ruff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.