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    The first name Rush

    A boy’s name from French meaning “waterside plant”, “plant in marshes”, “beehive”.

    1 syllable Male Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    French origin

    Rush means “waterside plant”, “plant in marshes”, “beehive” in French.

    * As an English surname, from the noun rush (“waterside plant, plant in marshes”). * Also as an English surname, from the archaic noun rush (“beehive”), from French ruche. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Ruis (literally “descendant of Ros”), a name from ros (“wood”). Sometimes also translated from Ó Luachra due to confusion with luachair (“rushes”), see Loughrey. * Also as an Irish surname, translated/Anglicized from Ó Fuada (literally “descendant of Fuada”), compare Foody, from the noun fuad (“haste”). * As a German surname, Americanized from Rüsch, Ruesch, Rusch.

    More names that mean forest.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Rush at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 126 boys born in the United States were named Rush, the 1,434th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2023, when 151 were.

    0100200 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    3,450
    babies named Rush since 1880
    #1,434
    rank in 2025
    2023
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Rush

    3 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Rush Limbaugh
      American political commentator (1951–2021)
    • Rush D. Holt, Jr.
      American scientist and politician, born 1948
    • Rush Holt Sr.
      American politician (1905–1955)

    More French boys’ names

    All 210 names of French origin

    Questions

    What does the name Rush mean?
    Rush means “waterside plant”, “plant in marshes”, “beehive” in French.
    What is the origin of the name Rush?
    * As an English surname, from the noun rush (“waterside plant, plant in marshes”). * Also as an English surname, from the archaic noun rush (“beehive”), from French ruche. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Ruis (literally “descendant of Ros”), a name from ros (“wood”). Sometimes also translated from Ó…
    Is Rush a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 3,450 US babies named Rush since 1880 were boys.
    When was Rush most popular?
    2023 in the United States, when 151 babies were named Rush, its highest rank at 1,281st.
    Is Rush also a surname?
    Yes. Rush is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.