How common is the surname Ruth?

15,012 people in the United States had the surname Ruth in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 20,567 Americans. It ranked 2,414th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ruth?

Babe Ruth, American baseball player (1895–1948), followed by Isabel Ruth.

Where is the surname Ruth most common?

Wikidata records people named Ruth in the United States and Portugal.

Is the surname Ruth getting more or less common?

Less common. 15,481 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 15,012 in 2010, down 3.0%.

Is Ruth also a first name?

Yes. Ruth is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Ruth

A surname, carried by 15,012 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex R300 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ruth is more common than 98.5% of them.

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 15,012 people named Ruth in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 20,567 Americans. That is down 3.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 15,481.

#2,414

rank among US surnames

15,012

people in 2010

5.1

per 100,000 Americans

-3%

change since 2000 (was #2,150)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,409	Banda	15,055	20,508
#2,411	Mattingly	15,050	20,515
#2,412	Beckman	15,045	20,521
#2,414	Ruth	15,012	20,567

Who is named Ruth

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

83% of people named Ruth identified as white (not Hispanic), 12% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 83%
Black (not Hispanic) 12%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.7%
Two or more races 1.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Ruths

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Babe Ruth
American baseball player (1895–1948)
Isabel Ruth
Actress, born 1940
Earl B. Ruth
American politician (1916-1989)

Notable Ruths come mostly from the United States (2) and Portugal (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Ruth

Ruth has the Soundex code R300, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R300.

Questions

How common is the surname Ruth?: 15,012 people in the United States had the surname Ruth in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 20,567 Americans. It ranked 2,414th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ruth?: In the 2010 Census, 83% of people named Ruth identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ruth?: Babe Ruth, American baseball player (1895–1948), followed by Isabel Ruth.
Where is the surname Ruth most common?: Wikidata records people named Ruth in the United States and Portugal.
Is the surname Ruth getting more or less common?: Less common. 15,481 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 15,012 in 2010, down 3.0%.
Is Ruth also a first name?: Yes. Ruth is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.