Rufus

Did you know?

A few things about Rufus you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Rufus

Rufus Wainwright

American-Canadian singer-songwriter and composer

Choose Rufus and your child shares a first name with Rufus Wainwright, an American-Canadian singer-songwriter and composer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Rufus, like who?” Rufus Wainwright's Wikipedia article is available in 50 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Rufus Wainwright on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 63,291 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Rufus, 27 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Rufus would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRufus has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Rufuss, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1880, when it ranked #88. Today it's #3,949, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendRufus has slipped 31 places over the last five years and now sits at #3,949. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRufus is most popular in Washington, where it ranks #999. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Rufus means “red-haired”.

About the name Rufus

Rufus is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “red-haired”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-fus”. US birth records list Rufus for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked #88 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #3,949, with 27 babies.

Origin:Latin names