Girls' name · since 1918
Ruthelma
Ruthelma has 36 recorded births since 1918 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1926 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #38,943 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 36
- born since 1918
- 1920s
- peak decade
Ruthelma sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 36 recorded since 1918.
Ruthelma has 36 recorded births among girls since 1918, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 1936.
- #38,943 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 36 born since 1918
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ruthelma ranks #38,943 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 36 born since 1918, peaking in the 1920s.
- #38,943 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 36
- born since 1918
- 1920s
- peak decade
Ruthelma's 36 recorded births place it above 46.06% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Ruthelma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Ruthelma's SSA record in two at 1926 and the more recent half accounts for 50% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 50%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1925, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1926 peak of 8, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Ruthelma popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–1936
- Peak year (1926)
- 8
- Annual births at peak, across 19 years of records
Ruthelma by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (24 births, 67% of the file).
1920s was Ruthelma's strongest decade.
24 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 67% of all-time use.
Ruthelma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 7
1910s
7 births
- 1920s
1920s
24 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 24 births (67% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Ruthelma's data
- Ruthelma's decade-level peak was the 1920s (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 Ruthelma
Nearby Names Like Ruthelma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ruthelma
Compare Ruthelma side by side: Ruthelma vs Ruth Ruthelma vs Ruthie Ruthelma vs Ruthann
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ruthelma: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1926)
Similar record span (~18 yrs)
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, 1918–1936 (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 Ruthelma 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.