Rufus

Last seen for girls in 1965 at #6,539 · #3,949 for boys in 2025, 27 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1880 · 163 births
Debut · boys
163 births
In top 100 · boys
2 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
36,074
since 1880

Rufus over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201905peak #88, 1880boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#3,94927
2024—#4,07226
2023—#5,07519
2022—#3,87928
2021—#4,11825
2020—#3,91826
2019—#3,63630
2018—#3,99326
2017—#3,19336
2016—#3,23035
2015—#2,76643
2014—#4,70220
2013—#2,66844
2012—#3,53030
2011—#2,90440
2010—#3,12836
2009—#4,16024
2008—#3,82327
2007—#3,59129
2006—#3,02436
2005—#3,02234
2004—#2,59941
2003—#3,28028
2002—#2,50439
2001—#2,74234
2000—#2,57836
1999—#2,16243
1998—#2,15742
1997—#1,93347
1996—#2,14539
1995—#1,91444
1994—#1,51662
1993—#1,62055
1992—#1,38267
1991—#1,26478
1990—#1,21681
1989—#1,21478
1988—#98796
1987—#95497
1986—#97189
1985—#795125
1984—#843108
1983—#800120
1982—#809119
1981—#735139
1980—#712149
1979—#747134
1978—#732132
1977—#714142
1976—#674149
1975—#678147
1974—#677144
1973—#616164
1972—#599178
1971—#587196
1970—#596184
1969—#546206
1968—#544193
1967—#492232
1966—#501228
1965#6,5395#505228
1964—#455303
1963—#456301
1962—#481272
1961#6,5675#441330
1960—#441332
1959—#418358
1958—#423347
1957#6,0865#380410
1956—#368402
1955#5,2086#358406
1954—#332475
1953—#332449
1952#4,9086#325456
1951#5,4145#325445
1950—#334407
1949#4,6736#303498
1948#5,2435#313466
1947—#315489
1946—#300467
1945—#296412
1944—#271479
1943—#278483
1942#4,6225#281456
1941—#260457
1940#3,2088#257460
1939—#260430
1938—#261443
1937—#241479
1936#3,7016#248449
1935—#250461
1934—#238480
1933—#238477
1932—#236511
1931#3,8486#239482
1930—#225565
1929#4,5705#225566
1928#4,1956#218602
1927#3,8757#204690
1926#3,04610#214641
1925#4,0287#207676
1924#3,6658#197709
1923—#199678
1922#3,3799#188737
1921—#191721
1920#4,3986#188729
1919#4,8145#190677
1918#3,8697#183721
1917—#187646
1916—#197577
1915#3,4347#188588
1914—#178495
1913#2,8276#169410
1912—#175336
1911—#146230
1910—#145221
1909—#131206
1908—#151156
1907—#137175
1906—#132156
1905—#138157
1904—#143138
1903—#139134
1902—#126152
1901—#137121
1900—#140157
1899—#125127
1898—#131141
1897—#131124
1896—#120145
1895—#124135
1894—#123128
1893—#117139
1892—#123137
1891—#128107
1890—#126115
1889—#132108
1888—#125126
1887—#113119
1886—#112139
1885—#116118
1884—#123117
1883—#105125
1882—#98147
1881—#104121
1880—#88163
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Rufus was already there! It came in at #88, and was given to 163 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2020–2025, when fewer than 29 boys a year got the name.

Where Rufus is popular in 1905

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Rufus
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 123 spots since 2024 (#4,072 → #3,949)
  • 31 spots since 2020 (#3,918 → #3,949)
  • 1,183 spots since 2015 (#2,766 → #3,949)
  • Biggest jump: 48 spots in 1985 (#843 → #795)
  • Biggest drop: 227 spots in 1989 (#987 → #1,214)
Rise & fade · boys
Peaked on debut
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1880 at #88 (163 births)
  • Births halved by 1989, 109 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 2 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 2 yrs · 1880–1882
  • Top 1,000: 109 yrs · run 1880–1988
Share of babies · boys
1 in 678
  • Highest: 1 in 678 boys born in 1880 were named Rufus (0.15%)
  • Latest: 1 in 63,262 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 18.7% of all boys named Rufus (6,749) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,283#88 (1880)#112
1890s1,298#117 (1893)#125
1900s1,552#126 (1902)#137
1910s4,901#145 (1910)#176
1920s6,749#188 (1922)#203
1930s4,777#225 (1930)#244
1940s4,667#257 (1940)#287
1950s4,155#325 (1952)#360
1960s2,625#441 (1960)#486
1970s1,570#587 (1971)#662
1980s1,120#712 (1980)#882
1990s558#1,216 (1990)#1,731
2000s328#2,504 (2002)#3,132
2010s340#2,668 (2013)#3,375
2020s151#3,879 (2022)#4,169

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Rufus in 1905

boys
#138
157 births · 1 in 843 boys

Top boys' names in 1905

  1. #1John8,059
  2. #2William6,495
  3. #3James6,042
  4. #4George4,256
  5. #5Charles3,608
  6. #6Robert3,410
  7. #7Joseph3,302
  8. #8Frank2,837
  9. #9Edward2,366
  10. #10Thomas2,135
  11. #138Rufus157
More about 1905

boys

132,306 boys got a published name in 1905; 1 in 843 of them was named Rufus, which outranked 90.3% of the 1,421 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rufus
  1. #135Alton164
  2. #136Hubert163
  3. #137Wallace162
  4. #138Rufus157
  5. #138Manuel157
  6. #140Dan152
  7. #141Mack151
  8. #142Irving148

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1904
Risers
  1. ↑ 590Ludwig#1,205 → #615
  2. ↑ 539Domenick#1,205 → #666
  3. ↑ 506Cloyd#1,205 → #699
  4. ↑ 506Conley#1,205 → #699
  5. ↑ 506Elgin#1,205 → #699
Fallers
  1. ↓ 621Urban#612 → #1,233
  2. ↓ 586Sammy#647 → #1,233
  3. ↓ 576Randall#515 → #1,091
  4. ↓ 553Santiago#538 → #1,091
  5. ↓ 547Duane#686 → #1,233

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1905 →