Ruthan
Ancient Germanic name potentially meaning "victorious peace" or "glorious peace".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Ruthan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ruthan today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ruthan births was 1957 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ruthan. 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 Ruthan is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ruthans were born before 1963.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ruthan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1957
6 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1957 SSA rank
#5,950
Tracked since 1944
Census
Ruthan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 111 people with the first name Ruthan, which placed it at #51,800 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
#51,800
National first-name rank
People counted
111
111 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
80.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruthan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ruthan is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) 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 Ruthan 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 Ruthan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 89
- Black or African American12.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Popularity
Ruthan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ruthan from the 1940s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 11 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
Ruthan 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 Ruthan 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 Ruthan
The given name Ruthan is believed to have originated from the ancient Gaelic language, which was spoken in Ireland and parts of Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the old Irish word "ruadh," which means "red-haired" or "ruddy complexion."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ruthan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient Irish chronicle that dates back to the 15th century. The annals mention a nobleman named Ruthan Ua Maolchonaire, who lived in the 12th century and was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Connacht.
In the 16th century, a Scottish soldier named Ruthan MacGregor fought in the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh against the English during the Rough Wooing, a conflict between Scotland and England from 1543 to 1551. MacGregor's bravery and valor were celebrated in traditional Scottish ballads and tales.
During the 17th century, a renowned Irish poet and harpist named Ruthan Ó Dálaigh gained recognition for his intricate compositions and mastery of the Gaelic language. Ó Dálaigh's works were widely celebrated and preserved by bardic families throughout Ireland.
In the 18th century, Ruthan O'Flaherty was a prominent Irish historian and chronicler who documented the history and genealogy of various Irish clans and families. His works, such as the Ogygia and the Ogygia Vindicated, were highly regarded and contributed to the preservation of Irish cultural heritage.
Another notable figure with the name Ruthan was Ruthan MacLeod, a Scottish chieftain who lived in the 19th century and played a significant role in the Highland Clearances. MacLeod was known for his efforts to protect the rights of his clan and resist the forced evictions of Highland communities during this turbulent period.
While the name Ruthan may have fallen out of common usage in recent times, its historical significance and deep roots in ancient Gaelic culture continue to make it a unique and intriguing choice for those seeking a name steeped in tradition and heritage.
People
Ruthan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ruthan 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
Ruthan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ruthan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ruthan 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Ruthan a common name?
We classify Ruthan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ruthan most popular?
The single biggest year for Ruthan was 1957, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ruthan is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ruthan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 111 people with the name Ruthan, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,800 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 Ruthan 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 Ruthan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ruthan leans strongly female. 109 people counted with this name were female (94.8%), compared with 6 male bearers (5.2%). 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 Ruthan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ruthan is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) 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 Ruthan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ruthan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (89 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 Ruthan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ruthan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ruthan 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 Ruthan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ruthan 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 Ruthan 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 many people have the name Ruthan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.