Rush

♂ Boy

Pronounced RUSH /ˈrʌʃ/Medium

Meaning: from an English surname, originally a topographic name for someone who lived among rushes, or a nickname for a red-haired personMedium

In 30 seconds: Rush comes from an English surname, given either to someone who lived among rushes or as a nickname for a red-haired person.

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Origin MediumEnglish

Meaningfrom an English surname, originally a topographic name for someone who lived among rushes, or a nickname for a red-haired person

U.S. rank (2025)#1434 ↗ Rising

2025 U.S. births126 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)

Peak year2023

Total births (all-time)≈ 3,437

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

The surname had two roots: a topographic name for a person who lived where rushes, the marsh plants, grew, and separately a nickname for someone with red hair. Carried over as a first name, it reads as crisp and energetic, helped along by the everyday meaning of 'rush'.

The red-haired sense survives in variant spellings like Rousse and Rusch, pointing back to its nickname origin.

Did you know? Rush likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.

Overall data confidence 70%

Behind the Name - Rush — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

RousseRusch

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

★Rush Limbaugh (1951-2021)
American conservative radio talk-show host and commentator

If you like Rush…

Reed— shares the marsh-plant imagery and the red-haired nickname tradition

Josh— echoes that soft -sh sound

Nash— shares the -sh ending

Kash— lands in the same popularity range

Cash— a fellow English choice

Explore names like Rush

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Rush mean?

Rush is usually explained as meaning 'red hair.' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Rush?

It's commonly said RUSH /ˈrʌʃ/.

Is Rush a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Rush is used as a boy name.

How popular is Rush?

In 2024, Rush ranked #1493 in the U.S. for boys, with 120 births recorded.