Ruth
An English and German surname sometimes linked to the given name Ruth, but also confused with related names like Routh, Rudd, and Rutherford.
The #2,414 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,567 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Ruth is not straightforward, because historical sources point in more than one direction. In English records it may be an occasional surname formed from the biblical given name Ruth, but some reference works also cross-reference it with similar-looking names such as Routh or Rudd, suggesting that not every bearer has the same origin. In German contexts, Ruth can also reflect the personal name Ruth, from Hebrew rūt meaning "friend" or "companion."
History
The name appears in English records as a surname by the 18th century, though the surviving evidence in the excerpts is mostly incidental rather than a dedicated dictionary entry. Because it is short and easily confused with Routh, Rudd, and other similar forms, the surname may have multiple independent origins or spellings in historical records. The biblical given name Ruth helped keep the form familiar in English-speaking areas, especially after the Reformation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is easy to misread in old records, and 19th-century surname dictionaries often sent readers from Ruth to similar names instead of treating it as a separate main entry.
From the historical record
“instance of the disposition to interchange is found in the two entries following : 1651, Oct. 13. Bapt,— Ruth, d. Robert and Elizabeth ToocooDj Reg. St. Thomas the Apostle (London),. p. 59. 1653, Feb, 15. Bapt— Ralph, s. Robert and Elizabeth Doocoon, Reg. St Thomas the Apostle (London), p. 59.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances