Boy name · Old English
Rutherford
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: cattle fordRutherford is a boy's name that comes from Old English and means "cattle ford". It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- Cattle ford
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- Letters
- 10
Meaning and origin of Rutherford
As a boy's name, Rutherford comes from Old English and means "cattle ford". It is used in English and Scottish.
Rutherford is also a surname: the 1,290th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 26,667 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Rutherford on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Rutherford on 3 lists.
“Scottish Borders place, a ford for cattle”
From Cool last names, fancy last names
“Cattle ford; Old English. Shared with President Hayes”
From Old man names, distinguished old man names
“Cattle ford, from a crossing on the Tweed”
From Scottish last names, lowland and Border family names
How popular is Rutherford?
- Recent US rank
- Fewer than 5 babies in 2025
- Best rank
- #736 in 1880
- Most babies: 25 in 1921
- Babies since 1880
- At least 729
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 28 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 12 per million |
| 1900s | 15 per million |
| 1910s | 21 per million |
| 1920s | 14 per million |
| 1930s | 8 per million |
| 1940s | 6 per million |
| 1950s | 3 per million |
| 1960s | 1 per million |
| 1970s | 2 per million |
| 1980s | 0 per million |
| 1990s | 0 per million |
| 2000s | 0 per million |
| 2010s | 2 per million |
| 2020s | 4 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,509 | #9,527 | #7,523 | #13,759 | #11,749 | #7,480 | #8,852 | #7,647 | – | – |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- CliffordFord by a cliff (Old English, boy)
- DenverDane ford (Old English, boy)
- WataruTo wade across, ford (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
Middle names for Rutherford
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
Rutherford: common questions
What does the name Rutherford mean?
Rutherford comes from Old English and means "cattle ford".
Is Rutherford a boy or girl name?
Rutherford is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Rutherford come from?
Rutherford comes from Old English and means "cattle ford". Today it is used in English and Scottish.
What middle names go with Rutherford?
Middle names that flow well with Rutherford include Ansel, Eli, Elton, Ethan and Jack. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.