Ruthanne vs Ruthy
American parents have registered 2,685 Ruthannes since 1880, against 924 Ruthys. Ruthanne is still ahead, with 18 babies in 2025.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Ruthanne Ruthy
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 112 years in which either name was published, Ruthanne for 99 years and Ruthy for 13 years. The lead changed hands 11 times.
Side by side
| Ruthanne | Ruthy | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 2,685 | 924 |
| Most in one year | 90 | 29 |
| Babies in 2025 | 18 | 8 |
| Estimated living today | 2,000 | 590 |
| Median age today | 58 | 60 |
| Peak year | 1946 | 1958 |
| Best rank | 874th girls | 2,073rd girls |
| Rank in 2025 | 6,325th | 10,917th |
| First recorded | 1918 | 1913 |
| Girls / boys | 2,685 / 0 | 924 / 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 Ruthys alive today are over 60; half the Ruthannes are over 58. That is 2 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: Ruthanne and Ruthy.