Ruth
Ruth is a female given name: 99% of people named Ruth are women, and it is recorded as female in 19 of the 19 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Female
- Male / female split
- 1% male / 99% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Switzerland, Denmark
- US births since 1880
- 2,779 male / 823,577 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Ruth
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ruth," in English, "Guten Tag Ruth," in German. Ruth is a female given name: about 99% of people named Ruth are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Ruth,
German
Guten Tag Ruth,
French
Bonjour Ruth,
Spanish
Estimado/a Ruth:
Chinese
Ruth您好：
Japanese
Ruth様
English
Hi Ruth,
German
Hi Ruth,
French
Salut Ruth,
Spanish
Hola Ruth,
Chinese
Ruth你好：
Japanese
Ruthさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 0% |
| Switzerland | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Denmark | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Israel | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Germany | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Estonia | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| East Frisia | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Ireland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Malta | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Norway | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Austria | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
Show all 19 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Iceland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Belgium | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Spain | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Luxembourg | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Netherlands | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Czech Republic | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
2,779 male · 823,577 female · 826,356 births recorded
Since 1980: 0% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ruth a male or female name?
Ruth is a female given name: 99% of people named Ruth are women, and it is recorded as female in 19 of the 19 countries covered.
How do I address Ruth in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ruth," in English, "Guten Tag Ruth," in German. Ruth is a female given name: about 99% of people named Ruth are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Ruth a unisex name?
Ruth is not a unisex name: 1% of people named Ruth are men. Ruth leans strongly female overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Ruth a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ruth (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_ruth,
title = {Is Ruth a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ruth},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}