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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201919peak #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.

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 1919

girls
#4,814
5 births · 1 in 226,023 girls
boys
#190
677 births · 1 in 1,448 boys

Top girls' names in 1919

  1. #1Mary65,836
  2. #2Helen33,706
  3. #3Dorothy31,733
  4. #4Margaret26,238
  5. #5Ruth24,562
  6. #6Mildred17,300
  7. #7Virginia15,636
  8. #8Elizabeth15,287
  9. #9Frances15,106
  10. #10Anna14,498
  11. #4,814Rufus5

Top boys' names in 1919

  1. #1John53,522
  2. #2William43,969
  3. #3James42,392
  4. #4Robert41,025
  5. #5Charles25,192
  6. #6George25,170
  7. #7Joseph24,266
  8. #8Edward18,536
  9. #9Frank15,701
  10. #10Thomas13,434
  11. #190Rufus677
More about 1919

girls

1,130,117 girls got a published name in 1919; 1 in 226,023 of them was named Rufus, which outranked 13.4% of the 5,559 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rufus
  1. #4,251Zephyr6
  2. #4,251Zilda6
  3. #4,251Zorka6
  4. #4,814Rufus5
  5. #4,814Abie5
  6. #4,814Adamae5
  7. #4,814Adie5

Tied with 745 names at #4,814; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1918
Risers
  1. 851Gregoria#1,805#954
  2. 443Concha#1,333#890
  3. 390Arlena#1,299#909
  4. 353Marina#1,255#902
  5. 333Roselle#1,333#1,000
Fallers
  1. 1,019Liberty#585#1,604
  2. 840Victory#809#1,649
  3. 567Karen#960#1,527
  4. 404Zena#989#1,393
  5. 359Malvina#989#1,348

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

boys

980,122 boys got a published name in 1919; 1 in 1,448 of them was named Rufus, which outranked 96.0% of the 4,810 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rufus
  1. #187Nelson682
  2. #187Nick682
  3. #189Grover680
  4. #190Rufus677
  5. #191Gene676
  6. #192Leland668
  7. #193Johnny660
Biggest movers since 1918
Risers
  1. 446Quinten#1,313#867
  2. 432Dempsey#1,012#580
  3. 341Winton#1,231#890
  4. 334Donnie#1,211#877
  5. 332Edsel#1,062#730
Fallers
  1. 2,008Foch#869#2,877
  2. 582Carmel#949#1,531
  3. 403Eligah#918#1,321
  4. 398Nels#809#1,207
  5. 355Myer#966#1,321

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

See the top 100 for 1919