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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201920peak #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 1920

girls
#4,398
6 births · 1 in 199,715 girls
boys
#188
729 births · 1 in 1,460 boys

Top girls' names in 1920

  1. #1Mary70,983
  2. #2Dorothy36,643
  3. #3Helen35,097
  4. #4Margaret27,994
  5. #5Ruth26,102
  6. #6Mildred18,060
  7. #7Virginia17,314
  8. #8Elizabeth15,908
  9. #9Frances15,883
  10. #10Anna14,581
  11. #4,398Rufus6

Top boys' names in 1920

  1. #1John56,913
  2. #2William50,146
  3. #3Robert48,679
  4. #4James47,908
  5. #5Charles28,309
  6. #6George26,891
  7. #7Joseph25,587
  8. #8Edward20,097
  9. #9Frank16,430
  10. #10Richard15,010
  11. #188Rufus729
More about 1920

girls

1,198,289 girls got a published name in 1920; 1 in 199,715 of them was named Rufus, which outranked 23.7% of the 5,767 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rufus
  1. #3,957Zenaida7
  2. #3,957Zilla7
  3. #3,957Zoila7
  4. #4,398Rufus6
  5. #4,398Achsah6
  6. #4,398Adelaine6
  7. #4,398Adelma6
  8. #4,975Acie5
  9. #4,975Addell5
  10. #4,975Adrine5

Tied with 576 names at #4,398; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. 550Denise#1,481#931
  2. 321Blossom#1,242#921
  3. 311Lilia#1,242#931
  4. 302Ena#1,270#968
  5. 277Lorayne#1,216#939
Fallers
  1. 594Haruko#917#1,511
  2. 511Roselle#1,000#1,511
  3. 345Toshiko#967#1,312
  4. 304Carroll#902#1,206
  5. 297Santina#835#1,132

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

boys

1,064,356 boys got a published name in 1920; 1 in 1,460 of them was named Rufus, which outranked 96.2% of the 4,989 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rufus
  1. #185Dan764
  2. #186Lonnie740
  3. #186Nelson740
  4. #188Rufus729
  5. #189Bob710
  6. #190Antonio706
  7. #190Isaac706
Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. 960Harding#1,351#391
  2. 607Cameron#1,351#744
  3. 566Hardin#1,531#965
  4. 392Laurel#1,321#929
  5. 368Terrence#1,297#929
Fallers
  1. 789Pershing#593#1,382
  2. 580Woodroe#877#1,457
  3. 385Quinten#867#1,252
  4. 383Orvel#890#1,273
  5. 373Rexford#927#1,300

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

See the top 100 for 1920