Girl · Hebrew · Christian · International
Ruth
RuthSay it ROOTH
- Meaning
- Friend; probably a form of re'uwth, a female companion Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, H7327
- Say it
- ROOTH
Ruth
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Ruth meaning
Ruth is a Christian and international girl's name of Hebrew origin.
Friend; probably a form of re'uwth, a female companion
Ruth comes from the Hebrew Rūth (רוּת). Strong's takes it as probably a form of rĕʿūth, a female companion, and glosses the name "friend"; Brown-Driver-Briggs likewise reads it as "friendship". In the Book of Ruth she is a Moabite widow who will not leave her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi, telling her, "thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God". In Bethlehem she gleans in the fields of Boaz, a kinsman who marries her, and their son Obed becomes the grandfather of King David. Matthew's Gospel names her in the genealogy of Jesus. English Puritans also linked the name with the old English word ruth, "pity".
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H7327 · entry Ruwth · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Strong's H7327, Ruwth, with Brown-Driver-Briggs · Wikipedia, Ruth (given name)
Famous namesakes
- Ruth, the Moabite heroine of the Book of Ruth
Popularity abroad
- #173 United States, girls 2025 (down 1 from 172 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #542 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.