Boys' name · since 1914

Rufe

Since 1914, U.S. Social Security records show 29 babies named Rufe, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#26,191 of 45,481
all-time among boys
29
born since 1914
1910s
peak decade

Rufe sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 29 recorded since 1914.

Rufe has 29 recorded births among boys since 1914, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 1931.

  • #26,191 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 29 born since 1914
  • 1910s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rufe ranks #26,191 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 29 born since 1914, peaking in the 1910s.

#26,191 of 45,481
all-time among boys
29
born since 1914
1910s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Rufe's 29 recorded births place it above 42.29% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Rufe's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Rufe splits its recorded history at 1917: 66% of all births land in the more recent half, 34% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1914 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 9 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Rufe popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–1931

Last recorded 1931
Peak year (1918)
9
Annual births at peak, across 18 years of records
45678910 19141915191719181931 5

Rufe by decade

1910s is the heaviest window (24 births, 83% of the file).

1910s was Rufe's strongest decade.

24 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 83% of all-time use.

Rufe births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 24 births (83% of all-time use).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rufe? ▼
Since 1914, Social Security records show 29 babies named Rufe. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #26,191 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. The most recent recorded year was 1931. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 9 births.
Where does Rufe sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rufe ranks #26,191 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Rufe most popular? ▼
Rufe was most popular in the 1910s decade with 24 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
How long has the name Rufe been used? ▼
Records for Rufe go back to 1914, giving 18 years of history through 1931.
What names are similar to Rufe? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rufus, Rufino, Ruffus, Ruffin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Rufe's data

  • Rufe's decade-level peak was the 1910s (24 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1930s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.

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

Keep exploring Rufe

Nearby Names Like Rufe

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

Rufus Boy
#3949 36,074 births
Rufino Boy
1,650 births
Ruffus Boy
674 births
Ruffin Boy
560 births
Ruford Boy
71 births

Compare Rufe side by side: Rufe vs Rufus Rufe vs Rufino Rufe vs Ruffus

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Ham
29 births · Peak 1918
Printes
29 births · Peak 1917
Dumas
29 births · Peak 1912
Mott
29 births · Peak 1926
Othie
29 births · Peak 1916
Fon
29 births · Peak 1916
Embert
29 births · Peak 1922
Auguster
29 births · Peak 1925

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Rufe: 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, 1914–1931 (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 Rufe 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.