The Ruth surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 15,012 people carried this name — #2,414 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 19,600 people counted. That is down 3% from 15,481 in 2000.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 6 births for the Ruth name in 1890.
Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 141 people named Ruth.
24 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 24 départements, most often La Réunion.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
139 people named Ruth have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 215 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Pomeranian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 117 people named Ruth live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 88 people named Ruth live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
53 people named Ruth live in Switzerland.
They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
377 people named Ruth are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Who carried it
People named Ruth,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Christiane Ruth d. 1939 · teacher
-
Henry S. Ruth d. 2012
-
Esther Ruth d. 1787
-
Johan Ruth d. 1693
-
Hynek Ruth 1731–1797 · physician
-
Barbara Ruth 1741–1832
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Ruth.
- Russon 419 · U.S. census
- Rust 12,086 · U.S. census
- Rustan 225 · U.S. census
- Ruster 197 · U.S. census
- Rusterholz 106 · U.S. census
- Ruta 655 · U.S. census
- Rutigliano 1,146 · U.S. census
- Rutkowski 6,805 · U.S. census
- Rutten 872 · U.S. census
- Rutter 7,205 · U.S. census
- Ruys 153 · U.S. census
- Ruz 491 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Ruth is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.