Ruth
Female nameHebrew
✨ Meaning
Ruth is usually derived from the Hebrew 're'ut,' meaning friend, companion or friendship, though specialists note that the derivation is traditional rather than firmly established. The reading suits the story: the Book of Ruth is fundamentally about chosen loyalty rather than blood kinship. English also has an unrelated common noun ruth, meaning compassion or pity, which survives today mainly in its opposite, ruthless.
🌍 Origin
Ruth is a Moabite woman who stays with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi and becomes an ancestor of David, and her declaration of loyalty is among the most quoted lines in the Hebrew Bible. The name was adopted enthusiastically by English Puritans and was one of the most popular girls' names in the English-speaking world in the early twentieth century.
📈 Popularity Trend
⭐ Famous People Named Ruth
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does Ruth mean?
Ruth is usually read as 'friend' or 'companion,' from the Hebrew 're'ut,' though the derivation is traditional rather than firmly settled.
Is Ruth related to the word ruthless?
Only by coincidence. English once had a noun ruth meaning compassion, unrelated to the Hebrew name, and ruthless preserves it.
Who was Ruth in the Bible?
A Moabite woman who stayed with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi and became an ancestor of King David.