Declining since 2022.
Popularity of Rutherford since 1880
Babies named Rutherford per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1921, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Rutherford's real moment was 1880.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 31 |
| 1890s | 14 |
| 1900s | 20 |
| 1910s | 139 |
| 1920s | 158 |
| 1930s | 84 |
| 1940s | 84 |
| 1950s | 60 |
| 1960s | 22 |
| 1970s | 25 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 7 |
| 2000s | 5 |
| 2010s | 43 |
| 2020s | 37 |
Meaning & origin
Rutherford is a rare given name that never ranked in the US top 1000. Its first recorded use in Social Security data is 1880, its peak year, after which it fell sharply. By the 1920s it was given to fewer than 10 babies per year, and it has remained uncommon, with no recorded births in recent years. While its spelling and sound may evoke prestige (in part due to historical figures like U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes), its use as a first name is negligible today. The number of boys named Rutherford has been too small to calculate a reliable 1-in-N ratio or top states. Its trajectory has been falling since at least 2022, and the name has not revived. As a surname-turned-first-name, it follows the pattern of other 19th-century revival names, but without modern currency.
Rutherford is a habitational surname derived from Old English 'hryther' (ox, cattle) and 'ford' (ford), meaning 'cattle ford'. It originated as a place name in the Scottish Borders and later became a surname, with notable use as a given name in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in the United States.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Ruth, Rudy, Ford
Sibling names for Rutherford
Names that share Rutherford's style, for a brother or sister.
