Ruth Family History

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Ruth Name Meaning

English: from Middle English reuthe ‘pity’ (a derivative of rewen to pity, Old English hreowan) nickname for a charitable person or for a pitiable one. The personal name Ruth was little used in England in the Middle Ages among non-Jews, and is unlikely to have had any influence on the surname. adm Swiss German: from a short form of any of the Germanic personal names formed with hrod ‘renown’ (see Rode). EGnot Jewish - ab

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Roth, Rush, Rath, Rutz, Muth, Guth, Auth, Rudi, Ruch, Buth

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Ruth Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Ruth name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Ruth. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    44%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    18%

  • Germanic Europe

    13%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    5%

  • Norway

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Ruth Family Origin

Where is the Ruth family from?

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You can see how Ruth families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ruth family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ruth families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 248 Ruth families living in London. This was about 29% of all the recorded Ruth's in the UK. London had the highest population of Ruth families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ruth surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Ruth

Ruth Family Occupations

What did your Ruth ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Agricultural Labourer, Carman and Mason were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Ruth. A less common occupation for the Ruth family was Ag Labourer. The most common Ruth occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer. 10% of Ruth's were Agricultural Labourers.

View Census data for Ruth | Data not to scale

  • Agricultural Labourer

    10%

  • Carman

    4%

  • Mason

    4%

  • Ag Labourer

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Ruth ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Ruth Historical Records

What Ruth family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 98,000 census records available for the last name Ruth. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ruth census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Ruth

Passenger List

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Ruth. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Ruth. For the veterans among your Ruth ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Ruth family history.

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Ruth Life Expectancy

What is the average Ruth lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Ruth life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Ruth in 1941 was 45, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ruth

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Ruth ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Ruth Family Ancestors

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