Ruby
Ruby was given to 3,554 girls in 2025, #64 among girls’ names; 379,684 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 153,000 Americans named Ruby and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (40% of everyone recorded); the median is 27 years old and half are between 11 and 71.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Ruby by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Ruby mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Ruby is “a female given name.”
The female name derives from ruby in the 19th century.
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Ruby?
#64 among girls’ names, 2025
Ruby rose from #83 in 2015 to #64 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 1.9 to 2.2 per 1,000.
8,472 babies in 1924, the peak
Ruby peaked in 1924, when 8,472 babies were given it (8,406 girls, #26 among girls’ names). The 3,569 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 42% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,554 | #64 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 3,533 | #62 | 2.2 |
| 2023 | 3,364 | #65 | 2.1 |
| 2022 | 3,621 | #62 | 2.2 |
| 2021 | 3,599 | #62 | 2.2 |
| 2020 | 3,342 | #74 | 2.1 |
| 2019 | 3,738 | #66 | 2.2 |
| 2018 | 3,591 | #74 | 2.1 |
| 2017 | 3,587 | #79 | 2.1 |
| 2016 | 3,847 | #71 | 2.2 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3,467 | #83 | 1.9 |
| 2014 | 3,430 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 2013 | 3,321 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 2012 | 2,918 | #105 | 1.7 |
| 2011 | 2,770 | #109 | 1.6 |
| 2010 | 2,798 | #113 | 1.6 |
| 2009 | 3,019 | #108 | 1.6 |
| 2008 | 3,021 | #113 | 1.6 |
| 2007 | 2,900 | #116 | 1.5 |
| 2006 | 2,582 | #137 | 1.4 |
| 2005 | 2,472 | #130 | 1.3 |
| 2004 | 2,120 | #158 | 1.2 |
| 2003 | 1,707 | #189 | 0.93 |
| 2002 | 1,579 | #208 | 0.88 |
| 2001 | 1,366 | #232 | 0.76 |
| 2000 | 1,266 | #258 | 0.70 |
| 1999 | 1,209 | #261 | 0.68 |
| 1998 | 1,207 | #256 | 0.68 |
| 1997 | 1,040 | #280 | 0.60 |
| 1996 | 985 | #295 | 0.56 |
| 1995 | 1,053 | #260 | 0.60 |
| 1994 | 1,031 | #271 | 0.58 |
| 1993 | 1,034 | #266 | 0.57 |
| 1992 | 1,039 | #272 | 0.56 |
| 1991 | 1,004 | #277 | 0.54 |
| 1990 | 954 | #291 | 0.50 |
| 1989 | 765 | #329 | 0.41 |
| 1988 | 621 | #385 | 0.35 |
| 1987 | 631 | #369 | 0.36 |
| 1986 | 558 | #401 | 0.33 |
| 1985 | 593 | #384 | 0.34 |
| 1984 | 595 | #380 | 0.35 |
| 1983 | 591 | #378 | 0.35 |
| 1982 | 622 | #371 | 0.37 |
| 1981 | 677 | #346 | 0.41 |
| 1980 | 659 | #357 | 0.40 |
| 1979 | 661 | #351 | 0.41 |
| 1978 | 628 | #347 | 0.41 |
| 1977 | 601 | #364 | 0.39 |
| 1976 | 616 | #348 | 0.42 |
| 1975 | 628 | #346 | 0.43 |
| 1974 | 601 | #359 | 0.41 |
| 1973 | 635 | #345 | 0.44 |
| 1972 | 638 | #348 | 0.42 |
| 1971 | 731 | #346 | 0.44 |
| 1970 | 694 | #358 | 0.40 |
| 1969 | 680 | #343 | 0.40 |
| 1968 | 639 | #352 | 0.39 |
| 1967 | 746 | #318 | 0.45 |
| 1966 | 807 | #311 | 0.48 |
| 1965 | 984 | #276 | 0.56 |
| 1964 | 1,113 | #270 | 0.59 |
| 1963 | 1,383 | #236 | 0.72 |
| 1962 | 1,148 | #263 | 0.58 |
| 1961 | 1,278 | #245 | 0.63 |
| 1960 | 1,386 | #229 | 0.69 |
| 1959 | 1,502 | #215 | 0.74 |
| 1958 | 1,639 | #202 | 0.81 |
| 1957 | 1,783 | #197 | 0.87 |
| 1956 | 1,992 | #179 | 1.0 |
| 1955 | 2,009 | #173 | 1.0 |
| 1954 | 2,143 | #162 | 1.1 |
| 1953 | 2,342 | #150 | 1.2 |
| 1952 | 2,375 | #145 | 1.3 |
| 1951 | 2,351 | #140 | 1.3 |
| 1950 | 2,414 | #130 | 1.4 |
| 1949 | 2,577 | #123 | 1.5 |
| 1948 | 2,894 | #114 | 1.7 |
| 1947 | 3,069 | #112 | 1.7 |
| 1946 | 3,050 | #105 | 1.9 |
| 1945 | 2,904 | #95 | 2.2 |
| 1944 | 3,189 | #87 | 2.4 |
| 1943 | 3,470 | #82 | 2.5 |
| 1942 | 3,519 | #77 | 2.6 |
| 1941 | 3,581 | #69 | 3.0 |
| 1940 | 3,619 | #66 | 3.2 |
| 1939 | 3,712 | #67 | 3.4 |
| 1938 | 3,942 | #61 | 3.6 |
| 1937 | 4,289 | #52 | 4.0 |
| 1936 | 4,226 | #51 | 4.1 |
| 1935 | 4,764 | #41 | 4.5 |
| 1934 | 4,978 | #39 | 4.8 |
| 1933 | 4,944 | #43 | 4.9 |
| 1932 | 5,469 | #38 | 5.1 |
| 1931 | 5,331 | #39 | 5.0 |
| 1930 | 5,993 | #36 | 5.3 |
| 1929 | 6,153 | #36 | 5.5 |
| 1928 | 6,692 | #34 | 5.8 |
| 1927 | 7,264 | #30 | 6.1 |
| 1926 | 7,476 | #30 | 6.3 |
| 1925 | 7,843 | #30 | 6.4 |
| 1924 | 8,406 | #26 | 6.7 |
| 1923 | 8,232 | #25 | 6.8 |
| 1922 | 8,003 | #26 | 6.7 |
| 1921 | 8,333 | #26 | 6.8 |
| 1920 | 8,336 | #26 | 7.0 |
| 1919 | 8,334 | #24 | 7.4 |
| 1918 | 8,134 | #27 | 7.0 |
| 1917 | 7,662 | #27 | 7.1 |
| 1916 | 7,686 | #23 | 7.4 |
| 1915 | 7,237 | #24 | 7.4 |
| 1914 | 5,625 | #24 | 7.4 |
| 1913 | 4,913 | #23 | 7.9 |
| 1912 | 4,452 | #23 | 8.0 |
| 1911 | 3,372 | #22 | 8.1 |
| 1910 | 2,893 | #27 | 7.3 |
| 1909 | 2,524 | #27 | 7.3 |
| 1908 | 2,229 | #33 | 6.7 |
| 1907 | 2,113 | #34 | 6.6 |
| 1906 | 1,962 | #36 | 6.6 |
| 1905 | 1,885 | #38 | 6.5 |
| 1904 | 1,701 | #41 | 6.2 |
| 1903 | 1,538 | #42 | 5.9 |
| 1902 | 1,458 | #47 | 5.5 |
| 1901 | 1,225 | #49 | 5.1 |
| 1900 | 1,540 | #51 | 5.1 |
| 1899 | 1,103 | #52 | 4.7 |
| 1898 | 1,191 | #58 | 4.6 |
| 1897 | 1,025 | #57 | 4.4 |
| 1896 | 994 | #66 | 4.2 |
| 1895 | 954 | #66 | 4.1 |
| 1894 | 874 | #67 | 3.9 |
| 1893 | 769 | #71 | 3.6 |
| 1892 | 695 | #74 | 3.3 |
| 1891 | 554 | #80 | 3.0 |
| 1890 | 540 | #81 | 2.8 |
| 1889 | 522 | #78 | 2.9 |
| 1888 | 445 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1887 | 309 | #105 | 2.1 |
| 1886 | 301 | #106 | 2.1 |
| 1885 | 272 | #106 | 2.0 |
| 1884 | 244 | #109 | 1.9 |
| 1883 | 163 | #127 | 1.5 |
| 1882 | 136 | #132 | 1.3 |
| 1881 | 119 | #133 | 1.3 |
| 1880 | 92 | #149 | 1.0 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Ruby a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Ruby has been given almost only to girls: 3,114 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Ruby: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Ruby, and how old are they?
153,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 40% of the 379,684 Americans ever recorded as Ruby. The median Ruby alive today is 27 years old; half are between 11 and 71.
The 2020 Census counted 140,132 people named Ruby (139,463 women and girls, 669 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 155,782 born in the U.S. The Census count is 10% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 20,800 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 29,100 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 10,300 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 12,600 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 33,700 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 45,800 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Ruby born?
The states with the most babies named Ruby are Texas, California and North Carolina, with 24% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 36,664 | #121 | 1.6× |
| California | 24,530 | #78 | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 20,590 | #72 | 1.7× |
| Georgia | 20,491 | #64 | 1.8× |
| Alabama | 16,762 | #88 | 1.9× |
| Tennessee | 16,589 | #39 | 1.9× |
| Kentucky | 14,711 | #57 | 1.8× |
| Mississippi | 14,035 | #97 | 2.2× |
| Arkansas | 12,341 | #49 | 2.2× |
| Virginia | 11,776 | #77 | 1.3× |
Where Ruby is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Ruby is most over-represented in Arkansas: since 1910 it was given 2.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Ruby with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 402,197 babies since 1880, Ruby is the most given (94% of them). In 2025 it was given to 3,569 of their 3,857 babies (93%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Ruby
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Ruby and names like it
- Compare Ruby and RubiBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sRuby peaked in 1924.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Ruby since 1910.
- The top names of 1924The year the most babies were named Ruby.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Ruby alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with RMost given first.