Head to head · Girls' names
Ariella vs Ruth
#174 vs #173 in 2025
Ruth is a whisker ahead (#173 vs #174 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Ruth is back after a long quiet spell, Ariella is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Ruth leads 6 measures of 6; Ariella leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Ariella —, Ruth #71 — Ruth higher
- 1890s: Ariella —, Ruth #11 — Ruth higher
- 1900s: Ariella —, Ruth #5 — Ruth higher
- 1910s: Ariella —, Ruth #5 — Ruth higher
- 1920s: Ariella —, Ruth #6 — Ruth higher
- 1930s: Ariella —, Ruth #15 — Ruth higher
- 1940s: Ariella —, Ruth #36 — Ruth higher
- 1950s: Ariella —, Ruth #71 — Ruth higher
- 1960s: Ariella #6008, Ruth #123 — Ruth higher
- 1970s: Ariella #4435, Ruth #201 — Ruth higher
- 1980s: Ariella #2386, Ruth #233 — Ruth higher
- 1990s: Ariella #1373, Ruth #321 — Ruth higher
- 2000s: Ariella #1202, Ruth #346 — Ruth higher
- 2010s: Ariella #424, Ruth #301 — Ruth higher
- 2020s: Ariella #177, Ruth #186 — Ariella higher
Ruth stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Ariella took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Ariella | Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #71 |
| 1890s | — | #11 |
| 1900s | — | #5 |
| 1910s | — | #5 |
| 1920s | — | #6 |
| 1930s | — | #15 |
| 1940s | — | #36 |
| 1950s | — | #71 |
| 1960s | #6008 | #123 |
| 1970s | #4435 | #201 |
| 1980s | #2386 | #233 |
| 1990s | #1373 | #321 |
| 2000s | #1202 | #346 |
| 2010s | #424 | #301 |
| 2020s | #177 | #186 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Ariella
lion of God
The Hebrew root ari (lion) plus El (God) gives the accepted reading. Separately, the same consonants appear in Ezekiel describing the altar hearth of the temple, which some scholars read as a second, unrelated sense of the word — but the name itself is understood as 'lion of God'.
Ari'el (Hebrew) → Ariel → Ariela → Ariella
How it traveled
Ariel is Hebrew, and it appears in scripture in two ways: as a name Isaiah gives to Jerusalem, and as one of the men Ezra sends as an envoy. For most of its history it was a masculine name, and in modern Hebrew it still is — Ariela and Ariella arose as the feminine forms, built the way Hebrew regularly makes a woman's name from a man's.
Ruth
companion, friend
The Hebrew is usually read as a word about companionship, though the derivation is not secure. Four letters, one syllable, and an etymology that cannot be pinned down.
Rut → Ruth
How it traveled
The book is short, domestic and legal: a famine, a migration, two widows, a field, a kinsman with an obligation and a transaction at a town gate with ten witnesses. There is no miracle in it and God is mentioned but does nothing visible.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Ariella
ar-ee-ELL-ah
The stress sits on the third syllable. Hebrew speakers say it closer to ah-ree-EL-ah; both are current in the US, and the first syllable rhyming with 'air' is also widely heard.
- Ari — The most common short form; also used independently for boys and girls, and standard in Israel.
- Ella — Drawn from the ending; a well-established given name in its own right.
- Ariel — The parent name, used as a familiar form; carried by men and women depending on the language.
- Elle — A trimmer version of Ella, informal.
- Also Riri.
Ruth
ROOTH
One syllable, rhyming with truth. Said essentially the same way in English, German, Spanish and Hebrew.
- Ruthie — The affectionate form; used widely and often on later paperwork.
- Ru — Cut to one sound; used inside families rather than written.
Who has carried each name
Ariella
No documented entry for Ariella yet.
Ruth
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (b. 1933) — Supreme Court justice who became "the Notorious RBG"
Ruth Handler (b. 1916) — Invented Barbie — and named her after her daughter
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Ariella if you want…
- a name holding steadyAriella is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itAriella runs 4 syllables, Ruth 1
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Ari, Ella and Ariel
- a newer arrivalAriella entered the US charts in 1967
Choose Ruth if you want…
- a name on the way upup 46 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesRuth is 1 syllable to Ariella's 4
- a long American recordRuth was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 40% for Ariella
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Ariella
Strengths
- Two ready-made short forms, Ari and Ella, both already familiar to English speakers and neither needing explanation.
- A documented line back to the Hebrew Bible, which few modern-sounding girls' names can claim.
- Works across Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, French and English with only small changes to spelling or stress.
To consider
- Ariella, Ariela, Arielle and Ariel all circulate, so she will likely spell it out for people who have heard the sound but not seen the page. The double-L version is the most common in the US, which helps.
- For many people Ariel means the Disney mermaid first, and Ariella sits close enough to catch some of that. It fades as a child grows, but it will come up early.
- Ari is the short form most likely to stick, and it is used for boys too — worth knowing if you would rather the full name stayed in daily use.
Ruth
Strengths
- One syllable and four letters, with no possible mispronunciation.
- It is recognized in Jewish and Christian tradition alike and spelled the same in most European languages.
- It has an unbroken run in American records from the first year they were kept.
To consider
- It is strongly associated with the early twentieth century, though it has begun to return.
- The English word ruth, meaning pity, is dead except in ruthless, and people will mention it.
- The spelling is recorded for a small number of boys, though it reads overwhelmingly as a girl's name.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Ariella
40%chance Ariella feels dated by 2040
Ariella sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Ruth
12%chance Ruth feels dated by 2040
Ruth has held the top-100 across 8 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Ariella and Ruth in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Ariella and Ruth?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Four-syllable names that carry
- Seven-letter names, ranked by real use
- Names with a double letter
- Names ending in -ella / -elle
- all guides
Where Ariella and Ruth each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Ariella or Ruth — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Ariella or Ruth?
- Ruth, in 2025: Ruth ranked #173 with 1,781 babies; Ariella ranked #174 with 1,756 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Ariella or Ruth?
- Ruth. Over the last five years Ariella moved down 20 places; Ruth moved up 46 places.
- Which is the older name, Ariella or Ruth?
- Ariella entered the US charts in 1967; Ruth was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Ruth is the older name.
- How many people are named Ariella and Ruth?
- About 22,000 people named Ariella are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 233,000 people named Ruth are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Ariellas or Ruths in the classroom?
- Ariella will almost certainly be the only one in school. Ruth will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Ariella, Ruth and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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