Rusty
Feminine · “rust-colored”
Rusty is given to both — 565 girls and 17,802 boys since 1880. See Rusty as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Rusty began as a nickname for red hair and became a name in its own right, given almost only to boys. It is friendly and unpretentious, and a red-haired ballplayer made it beloved in two languages.
How old is the name Rusty?
Rusty first appears in US birth records in 1934 — 91 years ago. The typical Rusty alive today was born around 1972, making them about 53 years old. About 500 people named Rusty are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rusty most popular?
Rusty peaked in 1976, reaching #2792 nationally. See the whole 1976 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From rūst to Rusty
The story of Rusty
Rust and red are one old word in two shapes: Old English rūst came from the same ancient root as red, the name for the color iron turns when it weathers. Rusty was a nickname for a red-haired boy, and parents began to write it on birth certificates. Its best-loved bearer in sport is Rusty Staub, whose red hair made him Le Grand Orange to Montreal fans; he learned French to talk with them, and they never forgot it. The name is recorded for a few girls, but it is a boy's name almost everywhere.
Meaning
rust-colored, red-haired
From the English word rusty, the color of rust, used as a nickname for red hair. It is also a pet form of Russell, from a French nickname meaning little red one.
How the name formed
- rūst
- rusty
- Rusty
Pronouncing Rusty
RUS-tee
Two syllables, stressed on the first.
Nicknames for Rusty
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1934
- Most girls named
- 197929 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2792reached in 1976
- Change vs 1996
- +33.3%8 in 2024, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Rustys among us
people named Rusty are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Rusty sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is friendly and instantly understood.
- It has warm associations with sport and family life.
- It is no longer common among new babies, so a young Rusty stands out.
- It reads as a nickname, and some will assume a longer legal name such as Russell.
- It describes red hair, which a child may or may not have.
- The ordinary word rusty also means out of practice or corroded, and jokes are easy.
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What they receive
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Rusty
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Rustys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Rusty are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rusty in 2025?
- Rusty is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Rusty with classmates?
- Rusty will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Ruth#173 · Rebecca#349 · Rachel#250 · Rose#114 · Ruby#64 · Robin#704 · Rita#1285 · Rhonda#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rusty? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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