Rufus is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Rufus means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Rufus across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Rufus has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Rufus is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “red-haired”. From the Latin word rufus.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 36,225 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 3,618 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 58 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Rufus per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1922 (746/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (218/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2016 (8/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2013 (3/yr).
Rufus has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1922, when it ranked #424 nationally (given to 746 babies that year).
Ruffus · Rufas · Rayfus · Rufes
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