Ruthann
Feminine · “Companion or friend”
Ruthann is Ruth Ann with the space closed, and both halves are Hebrew and short. Ruth is one of the very few books of the Bible named for a woman, and Ann is the mother of Mary in tradition — two of the most durable women's names in the language.
How old is the name Ruthann?
Ruthann first appears in US birth records in 1906 — 119 years ago. The typical Ruthann alive today was born around 1951, making them about 74 years old. About 5,100 people named Ruthann are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ruthann most popular?
Ruthann peaked in 1943, reaching #459 nationally. Today it ranks #5554, 5,095 places below that high. See the whole 1943 chart.
Where it comes from
From Rūṯ to Ruthann
The story of Ruthann
The book of Ruth is four chapters about loyalty between two women: a Moabite widow who refuses to leave her mother-in-law and follows her back to Bethlehem, where she becomes an ancestor of David. English Puritans used the name heavily and America has never been without it. Ruth Ann as a double name belongs to the mid-twentieth century, when the practice was at its height, and the solid spelling appears as clerks and families wrote the pair as one. Ruthann's peak in 1943 sits at the top of that period; both the double name and Ruth itself declined sharply after 1960.
Meaningscholars disagree
Companion or friend, joined to grace
Ruth is from Hebrew Rūṯ, usually connected to a root meaning friendship or companion, though the derivation is not certain. Ann is from Ḥannāh, grace or favor, which is settled. The compound has no meaning beyond the two names joined; the English word ruth, meaning pity or compassion, is a separate Germanic word and not the source of the name.
How the name formed
- Rūṯ
- Ruth
- Ruth Ann
- Ruthann
Related forms: רוּת · Ruth Ann
Pronouncing Ruthann
ROOTH-an
Two syllables, with the main stress on the first and a secondary one on the second. It is said exactly as the two names in sequence.
Nicknames for Ruthann
Moderate
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
- 1906
- Most girls named
- 1942247 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #459reached in 1943
- Change vs 2023
- −21.4%22 in 2025, from 28
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.
Ruthann in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- רוּת in Hebrew — related form
- Ruth Ann in English — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana.
Ruthanns among us
people named Ruthann are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 73,058 born in 2025 was named Ruthann
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 Claudie test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Ruthann's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Claudie climbed just as high around 1900, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Claudie's path sketches the road Ruthann is walking now.
Ruthann 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
Ruthann beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ruthann in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Both halves are complete, established names usable alone.
- Ruthie is a warm and entirely ordinary short form.
- Everyone can say it after one hearing.
- Written solid it looks like an error to anyone expecting Ruth Ann.
- It is strongly dated to the 1930s through 1950s.
- The double-name habit has been gone from American naming for two generations.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Ruthann
Feminine · #5554 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ruthanns are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 5,100 people named Ruthann are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ruthann in 2025?
- Ruthann ranks #5554 among US girl names in 2025, with 22 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ruthann?
- About 1 in every 73,058 US girls born in 2025 was named Ruthann — 22 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ruthann with classmates?
- Ruthann will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ruthann
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Eda#5554 · Phebe#5554 · Felicia#5554 · Audie#5554 · Maryellen#5554 · Warren#5554 · Gray#5554 · Nettie#5554
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ruthann? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ruthann and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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