boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Rudy

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Rudolph Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #739 Trend ↑ Rising 25%

A diminutive of the male given name Rudolph.

Rank 2025
#739
among boys · ↑79 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
387
named Rudy · +19% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,825
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
837 babies
All-time total
51,402
#512 all-time among boys
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Rudy popularity over time

51,402 babies have been named Rudy since 1882, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 23 23 2 – #832
1890s – 40 40 4 +74% #758
1900s – 121 121 12 +203% #541
1910s 60 728 788 79 +551% #496
1920s 80 2,374 2,454 245 +211% #282
1930s 81 4,213 4,294 429 +75% #244
1940s 73 5,785 5,858 586 +36% #235
1950s 96 6,894 6,990 699 +19% #263
1960s 80 6,348 6,428 643 -8% #278
1970s 85 4,926 5,011 501 -22% #319
1980s 144 5,355 5,499 550 +10% #346
1990s 162 5,049 5,211 521 -5% #383
2000s 80 3,828 3,908 391 -25% #530
2010s 118 2,739 2,857 286 -27% #733
2020s (to 2025) 115 1,805 1,920 320 +12% #739

Where Rudy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 367 0.22 outside top 500
2027 379 0.22 outside top 500
2028 389 0.23 outside top 500
2029 398 0.23 outside top 500
2030 406 0.24 outside top 500

Where Rudy is most popular

Boys named Rudy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.178 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Rudy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 54 0.566 +218%
Nebraska 24 0.552 +210%
Wisconsin 49 0.414 +132%
Oregon 28 0.369 +107%
Minnesota 43 0.351 +97%
Arizona 55 0.336 +89%
Washington 49 0.300 +68%
North Dakota 5 0.293 +65%
Iowa 19 0.276 +55%
Kansas 18 0.262 +47%
California 220 0.241 +35%
Michigan 45 0.220 +23%
Maryland 26 0.218 +23%
Texas 186 0.211 +19%
Ohio 55 0.208 +17%
Pennsylvania 55 0.207 +16%
Illinois 51 0.200 +12%
Colorado 25 0.194 +9%
Indiana 30 0.187 +5%
Virginia 31 0.163 -8%
New York 68 0.157 -12%
Florida 62 0.131 -26%
Tennessee 22 0.122 -32%
North Carolina 27 0.106 -41%
Georgia 21 0.083 -53%
New Jersey 16 0.079 -55%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -68%
Missouri 7 0.051 -72%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -72%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -73%
Alabama 5 0.046 -74%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Rudy

Rudy is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #739 in 2025 with 354 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 51,402 American babies have been named Rudy. Its peak came in 1960, when 837 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Rudy stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rudy?

The median living Rudy is about 45 years old; half are between 28 and 65. An estimated 38 thousand people named Rudy are alive in the United States today.

median 45 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Rudy year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 33 #4,334 354 #739
2024 19 #6,355 306 #818
2023 20 #6,125 296 #830
2022 11 #9,555 289 #843
2021 16 #7,203 292 #821
2020 16 #7,166 268 #851
2019 24 #5,429 257 #865
2018 16 #7,357 273 #822
2017 17 #7,043 246 #875
2016 14 #8,319 263 #860
2015 8 #12,791 266 #846
2014 5 #18,700 257 #862
2013 8 #12,930 272 #804
2012 11 #10,299 286 #792
2011 5 #19,017 310 #733
2010 10 #11,089 309 #740
2009 5 #19,638 327 #724
2008 10 #11,440 389 #632
2007 – – 334 #699
2006 14 #8,626 376 #628
2005 – – 389 #584
2004 12 #9,161 419 #550
2003 10 #10,278 396 #565
2002 15 #7,365 397 #560
2001 6 #14,949 415 #530
2000 8 #11,565 386 #547
1995 18 #5,391 490 #461
1990 20 #4,828 602 #386
1985 17 #4,604 515 #358
1980 10 #6,664 495 #360
1975 5 #10,232 473 #355
1970 9 #5,726 480 #372
1965 6 #6,372 592 #313
1960 6 #6,262 831 #278
1955 9 #4,323 668 #277
1950 7 #4,662 612 #266
1945 – – 511 #256
1940 8 #3,461 427 #273
1935 8 #3,379 430 #260
1930 7 #3,986 437 #270
1925 8 #3,971 209 #414
1920 7 #4,329 111 #599
1915 7 #3,735 105 #548
1910 – – 26 #566
1905 – – 6 #1,210
1900 – – 13 #726
1895 – – 5 #1,214
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Rudy

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Rudy Giuliani Rudy Giuliani American attorney and politician (born 1944) Contemporary
  2. 2 Rudy Gobert Rudy Gobert French basketball player (born 1992) Contemporary
  3. 3 Rudy Youngblood American actor and musician b. 1982 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Rudy Sarzo Rudy Sarzo Cuban-American bassist (born 1950) Contemporary
  5. 5 Rudy Gay Rudy Gay American basketball player (born 1986) Contemporary
  6. 6 Rudy Tomjanovich Rudy Tomjanovich American basketball player & coach (born 1948) Contemporary
  7. 7 Rudy Vallée Rudy Vallée American musician (1901–1986) Contemporary
  8. 8 Rudy Fernández Rudy Fernández Spanish basketball player (born 1985) Contemporary
  9. 9 Rudy Van Gelder Rudy Van Gelder American recording engineer (1924–2016) Contemporary
  10. 10 Rudy Rucker Rudy Rucker American mathematician and novelist (born 1946) Contemporary
  11. 11 Rudy Riou Rudy Riou French footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  12. 12 Rudy Molard Rudy Molard French road bicycle racer b. 1989 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Rudy, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Rudy?

The median living Rudy is about 45 years old. Half of all living Rudys are between 28 and 65 years old.

How many people named Rudy are alive today?

An estimated 38 thousand people named Rudy are alive in the United States, based on 51,402 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rudy mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Rudolph.

How popular is the name Rudy in 2025?

Rudy ranked #739 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 354 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rudy?

51,402 babies have been named Rudy in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rudy most popular?

Rudy peaked in 1960, when 837 newborns received the name.

Is Rudy a boy or girl name?

Rudy is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rudy rising or falling?

Rudy is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rudy become more popular?

Rudy is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 406 boys named Rudy in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rudy?

Well-known people named Rudy include Rudy Giuliani (politician), Rudy Gobert (basketball player), Rudy Youngblood (actor).

Names like Rudy

Names that sound and feel close to Rudy: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Rudy with similar names → More names starting with R →