Holding steady.
Popularity of Rastus since 1887
Babies named Rastus per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1912, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Rastus's real moment was 1887.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1890s | 0 |
| 1900s | 0 |
| 1910s | 52 |
| 1920s | 37 |
| 1930s | 17 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Rastus is a rare name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1887, its peak year, and has since fallen out of regular use. The name's origin is uncertain; it may be a variant of the classical Greek name Erastus, introduced via the New Testament, or an American invention. Its brief period of use in the late 19th century overlapped with a trend for classical-sounding names among English-speaking communities. In the 1880s, when it first appeared, Rastus was recorded for only a handful of boys per year, and data after 1887 shows little to no continued use. The name does not appear in the top 1000 for any year and lacks any top-state concentration. Its rarity means the likelihood of meeting a Rastus today is negligible. The name has not been recorded in recent Social Security data for the latest year, 2025, confirming its status as a historical curiosity rather than a contemporary choice.
The name Rastus first appeared in U.S. records in the 1880s, with the earliest recorded instance in 1887. Its origin is unclear; it may have been a variant of the Greek name Erastus, meaning 'beloved', or an invented name. It gained some use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but later fell out of favor due to pejorative connotations.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Erastus
Sibling names for Rastus
Names that share Rastus's style, for a brother or sister.
