Meaning and background
The story behind Ruth
Ruth is an established biblical name, borne by the central figure of the Book of Ruth. Its Hebrew origin is documented, although the often-quoted explanation “female friend” is a probable derivation rather than a settled translation. In English, ruth is also an old word meaning compassion, surviving in ruthless; that separate word should not be confused with the Hebrew source. The name is traditionally one syllable in British English.
- Origin
- Biblical feminine given name from Hebrew רוּת (Ruth/Rut); the proposed source word meaning “female friend” is not certain. Source
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About Ruth
Recorded as a dog’s name
Ruth appears in 21 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/ɹuθ/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/ɹuθ/ · primary stress on syllable 1R UW1 TH
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.