Rutger vs Ruthe
American parents have registered 1,949 Ruthes since 1880, against 274 Rutgers. But in 2025 it was Rutger that was commoner, 5 babies to fewer than five.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Rutger Ruthe
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 90 years in which either name was published, Ruthe for 64 years and Rutger for 26 years. The lead changed hands once.
Side by side
| Rutger | Ruthe | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 274 | 1,949 |
| Most in one year | 23 | 122 |
| Babies in 2025 | 5 | under 5 |
| Estimated living today | 270 | 290 |
| Median age today | 28 | 78 |
| Peak year | 1993 | 1924 |
| Best rank | 2,943rd boys | 673rd girls |
| Rank in 2025 | 12,008th | unranked |
| First recorded | 1987 | 1898 |
| Girls / boys | 0 / 274 | 1,949 / 0 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Ruthes alive today are over 78; half the Rutgers are over 28. That is 50 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Rutger and Ruthe.