Given name & surname
Ruta
“compassion”·“a beloved companion”·“from the medicinal herb”
Ruta is a variant of Ruth. Interpretations include “compassion” and “a beloved companion” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions. Ruta is a variant of Rue. One Greek interpretation is “from the medicinal herb.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ruta is a variant of Ruth. Interpretations include “compassion” and “a beloved companion” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions. Ruta is a variant of Rue. One Greek interpretation is “from the medicinal herb.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ruta is a variant of Ruth. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain. Ruta is a variant of Rue. An origin associated with Rue is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1950. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ruta is a variant of Ruth. The history of Ruth gives this family its wider story. Ruth has a place in biblical naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ruta through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 322
- 0 boys · 322 girls
- Most popular year
- 1964
- 28 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 7 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 28 in 1964. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,238 as a first name in 2020; 803 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ruta’s family of names
Ruta has a related form in Ruth. In Māori usage, Ruta has a conventional equivalent in the English form Ruth. In Latvian usage, Ruta has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Rut.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ruta has relatives in 5 languages.
2 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ruta
- Ruta SepetysAmerican writerborn 1967
- Ruta LeeCanadian actress and dancerborn 1935
- Ruta Šaca-MarjašaLatvian politician (1927-2016)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ruta, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.