UK girl's name
Ruthie
A feminine variant of Ruth, a Hebrew name meaning "friend" or "companion".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ruthie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ruthie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4645, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 6 births.
This profile covers 31 England and Wales registrations across 8 recorded years from 1999 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 67% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 31 living people in the UK are called Ruthie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ruthie ranked #4645 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 6 girls were registered as Ruthie.
- • About 31 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ruthie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4645
2022
Births in 2022
4
Latest year
Peak year
2010
6 births
Estimated living
31
2026
Meaning
What does Ruthie mean?
The name Ruthie is a diminutive form of the feminine given name Ruth, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. Ruth is derived from the Hebrew word "re'ut," meaning friend or companion. The name is believed to have first appeared in the Old Testament of the Bible, where it refers to the Moabite woman who became the ancestor of King David.
The Book of Ruth, one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who remained loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi after the death of her husband. Ruth's unwavering faithfulness and devotion to Naomi became a symbol of filial piety and loyalty. The name Ruth has since been associated with these virtues.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ruth can be found in the ancient Hebrew text of the Book of Ruth, which is believed to have been written around the 6th century BCE. However, the name may have been in use even earlier, as the events described in the book are set during the period of the Judges, which predates the rise of the monarchy in ancient Israel.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Ruth or Ruthie. One of the most famous is Ruth the Moabite, the central figure in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible. Another notable Ruth is Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020), the renowned American jurist and Supreme Court Justice, who was a pioneer in advancing gender equality and women's rights.
Other notable figures with the name include Ruth Bell Graham (1920-2007), the wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, and Ruth Westheimer (1928-), better known as Dr. Ruth, a renowned sex therapist and media personality. Additionally, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1927-2013) was an acclaimed British novelist and screenwriter who won two Academy Awards for her adaptations of novels into screenplays.
The name Ruthie has been used as a diminutive form of Ruth throughout various cultures and time periods. It has been popular in English-speaking countries, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, but has also been used in other parts of the world where the name Ruth has been adopted.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ruthie over time
The chart below shows babies named Ruthie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ruthie, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2022, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ruthie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ruthie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4645 | 4 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4370 | 14 | 3 |
| 2000s | #4498 | 10 | 3 |
| 1990s | #3900 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Ruthie
- Ruby 60,551
- Rebecca 45,764
- Rosie 35,558
- Rachel 19,034
- Rose 18,043
- Robyn 14,556
- Rosa 6,236
- Rhiannon 6,180
- Rachael 4,702
- Rebekah 4,395
- Rhianna 4,177
- Ruth 4,118
FAQ
Ruthie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ruthie in the UK right now?
In 2022, Ruthie was ranked #4645 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Ruthie most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 6 babies registered as Ruthie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ruthie?
A feminine variant of Ruth, a Hebrew name meaning "friend" or "companion".
How many people are called Ruthie in the UK?
A total of 31 babies have been registered as Ruthie across the 8 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.