Rufta
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 64 living Americans carry the first name Rufta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rufta today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rufta births was 2022 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rufta. 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 Rufta with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rufta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
64
~ 1 in 5,355,537 Americans
Peak year
2022
11 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,100
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Rufta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rufta from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 49 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rufta 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 Rufta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rufta
The given name Rufta is an ancient Aramaic name that has its origins in the Middle Eastern region, particularly in the areas of modern-day Syria, Iraq, and parts of Iran. The name is believed to have been derived from the Aramaic root word "rft," which means "to heal" or "to comfort."
Rufta was a relatively common name among the Aramaic-speaking communities during the early centuries of the Common Era. It was frequently given to children with the hope that they would grow up to become healers or provide comfort to those around them. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in some ancient Aramaic inscriptions and manuscripts dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries CE.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Rufta was a renowned Aramaic scholar and physician who lived in the city of Edessa (modern-day Şanlıurfa, Turkey) in the 5th century CE. His writings on medicine and philosophy were widely studied and referenced by scholars of his time.
In the 7th century, there was a prominent Aramaic poet named Rufta who hailed from the region of Beth Aramaye (modern-day northern Iraq). His poetic works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were highly acclaimed and have been preserved in several ancient manuscripts.
The name Rufta also appears in some early Christian texts and records from the Byzantine Empire. There was a Rufta who served as a bishop in the city of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey) in the 8th century CE. He was known for his efforts in promoting education and establishing schools in the region.
Another notable figure with the name Rufta was a Syriac Orthodox monk and theologian who lived in the 10th century CE. He was a prolific writer and contributed significantly to the development of Syriac Christian theology and philosophy.
It is worth noting that while the name Rufta was more prevalent in ancient times, it has largely fallen out of common usage in modern times. However, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of the Middle Eastern region and serves as a reminder of the linguistic and historical diversity of the area.
People
Rufta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rufta 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
Rufta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rufta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 64 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rufta 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 5,355,537 US residents.
Is Rufta a common name?
We classify Rufta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rufta most popular?
The single biggest year for Rufta was 2022, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rufta is about 5 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 Rufta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rufta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rufta 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 Rufta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rufta 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 Rufta 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 the name Rufta?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.