Find out how popular the last name Ruth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ruth.

Ruth, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ruth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ruth in America

Ruth is the 2414th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ruth surname appeared 15,012 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Ruth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ruth to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ruth

The surname Ruth has its origins in the Germanic language, deriving from the Old German word "roth" or "rod," meaning red. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name referring to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.

Ruth is a name that can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with early records showing it to be present in various regions of Germany and the Netherlands. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in medieval records from the 12th and 13th centuries.

In the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony in Germany, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Ruth dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already established and in use during that time period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Johannes Ruth, a merchant from the city of Hamburg in northern Germany, who was recorded in the city's archives in the year 1328. Another notable individual was Henricus Ruth, a landowner from the town of Lübeck, whose name appears in local records from 1412.

As people migrated and settled in different areas, the surname Ruth spread across various regions of Europe. In England, for instance, there are records of the name appearing as early as the 16th century, with variations such as Ruthe and Rooth.

One of the most famous historical figures with the surname Ruth was the renowned German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), whose mother's maiden name was Ruth. Kepler is best known for his laws of planetary motion and his contributions to the scientific revolution.

Another notable individual was the German painter and engraver Johann Christoph Ruth (1657-1719), who was renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region of Germany.

In the United States, the surname Ruth gained prominence through the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth (1895-1948), whose given name was George Herman Ruth Jr. Babe Ruth is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and is credited with helping to popularize the game in the early 20th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Ruth include the American writer and journalist Babe Ruth Bambino (1887-1948), the German-American composer and educator Gustav Ruth (1858-1940), and the American lawyer and jurist Jacob Ruth (1803-1870), who served as a judge in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ruth

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ruth.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ruth was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ruth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ruth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ruth, please contact us.

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