Rusty
Masculine · “rust-colored”
Rusty is given to both — 17,802 boys and 565 girls since 1880. See Rusty as a girl 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 1927 — 98 years ago. The typical Rusty alive today was born around 1972, making them about 53 years old. About 15,500 people named Rusty are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rusty most popular?
Rusty peaked in 1959, reaching #328 nationally. Today it ranks #2363, 2,035 places below that high. See the whole 1959 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
- 1927
- Most boys named
- 1961576 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #328reached in 1959
- Change vs 2023
- +52.6%58 in 2025, from 38
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.
Rusty in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Hawaii.
Rustys among us
people named Rusty are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 29,450 born in 2025 was named Rusty
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Wilford test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rusty's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Wilford climbed just as high around 1911, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Wilford's path sketches the road Rusty is walking now.
Rusty 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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Rusty is headed
Rusty should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Rusty beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rusty in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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
Masculine · #2363 in the U.S.
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 15,500 people named Rusty are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rusty in 2025?
- Rusty ranks #2363 among US boy names in 2025, with 58 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rusty?
- About 1 in every 29,450 US boys born in 2025 was named Rusty — 58 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rusty with classmates?
- Rusty will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rusty
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Javi#2363 · Zacchaeus#2363 · Pete#2363 · Herman#2363 · Clint#2363 · Lipa#2363 · Reuven#2363 · Kyngston#2363
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rusty? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rusty and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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