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Rutherford
How to Pronounce Rutherford
Pronounced RUHTH-er-ferd /ˈrʌðərfərd/High
Meaning: Rutherford is an English and Scottish surname from an Old English place name, most likely 'cattle ford', a river crossing where cattle were driven, from hryther, 'cattle', and ford. Used as a given name in the surname-as-forename fashion, it also honoured President Rutherford B. Hayes for some American families.Medium
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
Rutherford is an English and Scottish surname from an Old English place name, generally read as 'cattle ford', a crossing for driving cattle. Handed down as a given name in the surname-as-forename style, it gained extra appeal from President Rutherford B. Hayes.
It was never common as a first name, a couple dozen boys a year at most around the nineteen-twenties, and it faded through the century. A boy given it then would be a great-grandfather now, and it reads as a stately old surname-name rather than a current choice.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893)the nineteenth president of the United States, in office in the late eighteen-seventies
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Rutherford mean?
It's an English surname from an Old English phrase for a 'cattle ford', a river crossing for cattle.
How do you pronounce Rutherford?
It's said RUHTH-er-ferd /ˈrʌðərfərd/, three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Rutherford a boy or girl name?
Rutherford is used as a boy's name.
Is Rutherford a popular name?
No, it was always rare as a first name, a stately surname-name seen only slightly in the early twentieth century.