Unisex name · since 1896

Rue

Rue has 1,565 recorded births since 1896 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2024 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#5,544 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#1,318 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
1,565
born since 1896
2020s
peak decade

1,565 babies have been named Rue since 1896, making it today's #1318 unisex name.

Social Security Administration records show Rue recorded 1,565 times among girls since 1896, holding rank #1318 nationally today, ahead of 92% of girls, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1896 to 2025.

  • #5,544 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #1,318 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 1,565 born since 1896
  • 2020s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rue ranks #5,544 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,318 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,565 born since 1896, peaking in the 2020s.

#5,544 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#1,318 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
1,565
born since 1896
2020s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%92.3%
Rue vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Rue's 1,565 recorded births place it above 92.33% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

27 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

27 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Rue compares

1,565 Top 26% higher than 74% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Rue's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Rue Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 1,565 376 567,345
Peak-year births 188 21 19,840

Rue's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Rue's full recorded timeline at 1947, 85% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 15% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1896, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2024 peak of 188 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Rue popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1896–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2024)
188
Annual births at peak, across 130 years of records
050100150200 189619201929193919481956201120192025 169

Rue popularity over time - boys

319 total births recorded since 1896 (Rue as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 319 births
0510152025 18961918192419311943195620202025 10

Rue by decade

2020s is the heaviest window (912 births, 58% of the file).

2020s was Rue's strongest decade.

912 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 58% of all-time use.

Rue births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2020s at 912 births (58% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Rue compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Rue's total volume

Rue vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -45, 6.3%-110, 7.4%-115, 2.3%-52, 5.8%-35, 5.2%-142, 5.6%-50, 9.2%-43, 15.5%-76, 4.5%-52, 6.4%-33, 6.6%-37, 6.5%-59, 8.3%-39, 7%-38, 5.4%Rue-130, 12%Rue
Rue vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Rue by state

Where Rue concentrates geographically, total births since 1896

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Rue
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
88 5.6%
#2 Texas
71 4.5%
#3 Utah
59 3.8%
#4 Pennsylvania
45 2.9%
#5 Ohio
40 2.6%
#6 New York
33 2.1%
#7 Illinois
28 1.8%
#8 Arizona
25 1.6%
California share of Rue's total US births 5.6%
Even split

88 of 1,565 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.

Rue appears in 27 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rue?
Rue has been given to 1,565 babies in the U.S. since 1896, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #5,544 of 72,339 among girls' names (total births, highest first). Among girls in 2025, it is #1,318 of 17,297. 188 babies were born in 2024, its single highest year.
Where does Rue sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rue ranks #5,544 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,318 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Rue most popular?
Rue was most popular in the 2020s decade with 912 total births. The single peak year was 2024.
Where is Rue most popular?
The top states for the name Rue are California (88 births), Texas (71 births), Utah (59 births).
Is Rue a unisex name?
Yes, Rue is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 1,565 births, and as a boy's name it has 319 births.
How long has the name Rue been used?
Rue has been recorded in Social Security data since 1896, spanning 130 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Rue?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ruelle, Ruey, Ruemani, Ruella, and 2 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Rue's data

  • California records the most Rues (88 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Rue

Nearby Names Like Rue

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rue

Names with a similar popularity rank to Rue

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Rue: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1896–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Rue draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.