A name. A world of connections.

Rutger

“fame + spear”

Language contexts for this entry: Dutch, Swedish

Matching spellings may have different histories. Explore matching entries

masculineLatin script

Hear the name

Origin: Proto-Germanic
2 language contexts: Dutch Swedish
Follow the evidence: 8 cited sources Source-reported

01 / Meaning & origin

About Rutger

Rutger is a masculine given name documented in Dutch and Swedish. English Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Germanic via German, Middle High German, Old High German, and Proto-West Germanic. It is a form of Roger, for which English Wikipedia gives the components fame + spear.

Proto-Germanic origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “fame + spear”

From German Rütger, from Middle High German Rüedger, from Old High German Ruodgēr, from Proto-West Germanic *Hrōþigaiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþigaizaz. Doublet of Rogier.

Follow the language links in this account

Read from more recent borrowed forms toward older source forms. This is a derivation account, not a dated timeline.

German
Middle High German
Old High German
Proto-West Germanic
Proto-Germanic

Only explicit language links are shown. The full passage may also discuss word roots, comparisons or uncertain proposals.

Proto-language forms marked with an asterisk in the source are reconstructions, rather than dated records of a person using the name.

Read the cited Wiktionary entry

Sources for this account (5)

Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Dutch Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: RogerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikidata Q2177560CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

02 / Across borders

Where Rutger is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Rutger’s connections around the world.

2 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Published statistics

United States, 2025: 5 boys (rank 12008).

Explore United States

4 of 5 countries

03 / By the numbers

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: Rutger

Region and dataset

Recorded category boys

Latest · 2025: 5; applications; Rank #12,008
Peak year: 1993; 23 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Rutger in United States, boys: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	no value	no value	not covered
1881	no value	no value	not covered
1882	no value	no value	not covered
1883	no value	no value	not covered
1884	no value	no value	not covered
1885	no value	no value	not covered
1886	no value	no value	not covered
1887	no value	no value	not covered
1888	no value	no value	not covered
1889	no value	no value	not covered
1890	no value	no value	not covered
1891	no value	no value	not covered
1892	no value	no value	not covered
1893	no value	no value	not covered
1894	no value	no value	not covered
1895	no value	no value	not covered
1896	no value	no value	not covered
1897	no value	no value	not covered
1898	no value	no value	not covered
1899	no value	no value	not covered
1900	no value	no value	not covered
1901	no value	no value	not covered
1902	no value	no value	not covered
1903	no value	no value	not covered
1904	no value	no value	not covered
1905	no value	no value	not covered
1906	no value	no value	not covered
1907	no value	no value	not covered
1908	no value	no value	not covered
1909	no value	no value	not covered
1910	no value	no value	not covered
1911	no value	no value	not covered
1912	no value	no value	not covered
1913	no value	no value	not covered
1914	no value	no value	not covered
1915	no value	no value	not covered
1916	no value	no value	not covered
1917	no value	no value	not covered
1918	no value	no value	not covered
1919	no value	no value	not covered
1920	no value	no value	not covered
1921	no value	no value	not covered
1922	no value	no value	not covered
1923	no value	no value	not covered
1924	no value	no value	not covered
1925	no value	no value	not covered
1926	no value	no value	not covered
1927	no value	no value	not covered
1928	no value	no value	not covered
1929	no value	no value	not covered
1930	no value	no value	not covered
1931	no value	no value	not covered
1932	no value	no value	not covered
1933	no value	no value	not covered
1934	no value	no value	not covered
1935	no value	no value	not covered
1936	no value	no value	not covered
1937	no value	no value	not covered
1938	no value	no value	not covered
1939	no value	no value	not covered
1940	no value	no value	not covered
1941	no value	no value	not covered
1942	no value	no value	not covered
1943	no value	no value	not covered
1944	no value	no value	not covered
1945	no value	no value	not covered
1946	no value	no value	not covered
1947	no value	no value	not covered
1948	no value	no value	not covered
1949	no value	no value	not covered
1950	no value	no value	not covered
1951	no value	no value	not covered
1952	no value	no value	not covered
1953	no value	no value	not covered
1954	no value	no value	not covered
1955	no value	no value	not covered
1956	no value	no value	not covered
1957	no value	no value	not covered
1958	no value	no value	not covered
1959	no value	no value	not covered
1960	no value	no value	not covered
1961	no value	no value	not covered
1962	no value	no value	not covered
1963	no value	no value	not covered
1964	no value	no value	not covered
1965	no value	no value	not covered
1966	no value	no value	not covered
1967	no value	no value	not covered
1968	no value	no value	not covered
1969	no value	no value	not covered
1970	no value	no value	not covered
1971	no value	no value	not covered
1972	no value	no value	not covered
1973	no value	no value	not covered
1974	no value	no value	not covered
1975	no value	no value	not covered
1976	no value	no value	not covered
1977	no value	no value	not covered
1978	no value	no value	not covered
1979	no value	no value	not covered
1980	no value	no value	not covered
1981	no value	no value	not covered
1982	no value	no value	not covered
1983	no value	no value	not covered
1984	no value	no value	not covered
1985	no value	no value	not covered
1986	no value	no value	not covered
1987	10	4,239	observed
1988	no value	no value	not covered
1989	6	6,941	observed
1990	17	3,467	observed
1991	14	4,005	observed
1992	10	5,236	observed
1993	23	2,943	observed
1994	17	3,751	observed
1995	14	4,280	observed
1996	12	4,878	observed
1997	21	3,351	observed
1998	13	4,873	observed
1999	10	6,042	observed
2000	13	5,297	observed
2001	10	6,445	observed
2002	13	5,395	observed
2003	5	10,894	observed
2004	6	9,948	observed
2005	8	8,299	observed
2006	7	9,585	observed
2007	8	8,915	observed
2008	9	8,324	observed
2009	7	9,864	observed
2010	no value	no value	not covered
2011	no value	no value	not covered
2012	no value	no value	not covered
2013	no value	no value	not covered
2014	no value	no value	not covered
2015	5	12,086	observed
2016	6	10,744	observed
2017	no value	no value	not covered
2018	no value	no value	not covered
2019	no value	no value	not covered
2020	no value	no value	not covered
2021	5	12,146	observed
2022	no value	no value	not covered
2023	no value	no value	not covered
2024	no value	no value	not covered
2025	5	12,008	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Statistics count the spelling “Rutger” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

04 / Through time

History

Historical scholarship

Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.

1884From the archives
Rutger— “spear of fame”
Rutger, _m._ _Neth._ Teu. spear of fame, 390
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Glossary of Christian Names · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Rutger Hauer
1944–2019
Dutch actor (1944–2019)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Rutger Bregman
born 1988
Dutch journalist, writer and historian
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Rutger Smith
born 1981
Dutch shot put and discus thrower
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck
1761–1825
Dutch ambassador and Grand pensionary of Holland (1761-1825)
Wikipedia Wikidata source

A little story to keep

A name worth keeping.

Take the story of Rutger with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.

06 / Behind the facts

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-16.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms5

Wikidata Q2177560CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Polish Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Dutch Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: RogerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences2

Wikimedia Commons: File:Nl-Rutger.oggCC-BY-SA-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikimedia Commons: File:LL-Q9027 (swe)-Moonhouse-Rutger.wavCC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Historical referencesOriginal texts and their publication details1

Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Glossary of Christian NamesPublic domain (Project Gutenberg) · rev. 2023-03-30 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates2

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Netherlands — SVB newborn names from child-benefit administration, 2017–2025
Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), Netherlands · Dutch public-sector database reuse assessment; no standard publisher licence stated · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

Opening name…

About Rutger

Proto-Germanic origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “fame + spear”

From German Rütger, from Middle High German Rüedger, from Old High German Ruodgēr, from Proto-West Germanic *Hrōþigaiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþigaizaz. Doublet of Rogier.

Follow the language links in this account

Read from more recent borrowed forms toward older source forms. This is a derivation account, not a dated timeline.

German
Middle High German
Old High German
Proto-West Germanic
Proto-Germanic

Only explicit language links are shown. The full passage may also discuss word roots, comparisons or uncertain proposals.

Proto-language forms marked with an asterisk in the source are reconstructions, rather than dated records of a person using the name.

Read the cited Wiktionary entry

Sources for this account (5)

Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Dutch Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: RogerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikidata Q2177560CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Where Rutger is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Rutger’s connections around the world.

2 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Published statistics

United States, 2025: 5 boys (rank 12008).

Explore United States

4 of 5 countries

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: Rutger

Region and dataset

Recorded category boys

Latest · 2025: 5; applications; Rank #12,008
Peak year: 1993; 23 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Rutger in United States, boys: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	no value	no value	not covered
1881	no value	no value	not covered
1882	no value	no value	not covered
1883	no value	no value	not covered
1884	no value	no value	not covered
1885	no value	no value	not covered
1886	no value	no value	not covered
1887	no value	no value	not covered
1888	no value	no value	not covered
1889	no value	no value	not covered
1890	no value	no value	not covered
1891	no value	no value	not covered
1892	no value	no value	not covered
1893	no value	no value	not covered
1894	no value	no value	not covered
1895	no value	no value	not covered
1896	no value	no value	not covered
1897	no value	no value	not covered
1898	no value	no value	not covered
1899	no value	no value	not covered
1900	no value	no value	not covered
1901	no value	no value	not covered
1902	no value	no value	not covered
1903	no value	no value	not covered
1904	no value	no value	not covered
1905	no value	no value	not covered
1906	no value	no value	not covered
1907	no value	no value	not covered
1908	no value	no value	not covered
1909	no value	no value	not covered
1910	no value	no value	not covered
1911	no value	no value	not covered
1912	no value	no value	not covered
1913	no value	no value	not covered
1914	no value	no value	not covered
1915	no value	no value	not covered
1916	no value	no value	not covered
1917	no value	no value	not covered
1918	no value	no value	not covered
1919	no value	no value	not covered
1920	no value	no value	not covered
1921	no value	no value	not covered
1922	no value	no value	not covered
1923	no value	no value	not covered
1924	no value	no value	not covered
1925	no value	no value	not covered
1926	no value	no value	not covered
1927	no value	no value	not covered
1928	no value	no value	not covered
1929	no value	no value	not covered
1930	no value	no value	not covered
1931	no value	no value	not covered
1932	no value	no value	not covered
1933	no value	no value	not covered
1934	no value	no value	not covered
1935	no value	no value	not covered
1936	no value	no value	not covered
1937	no value	no value	not covered
1938	no value	no value	not covered
1939	no value	no value	not covered
1940	no value	no value	not covered
1941	no value	no value	not covered
1942	no value	no value	not covered
1943	no value	no value	not covered
1944	no value	no value	not covered
1945	no value	no value	not covered
1946	no value	no value	not covered
1947	no value	no value	not covered
1948	no value	no value	not covered
1949	no value	no value	not covered
1950	no value	no value	not covered
1951	no value	no value	not covered
1952	no value	no value	not covered
1953	no value	no value	not covered
1954	no value	no value	not covered
1955	no value	no value	not covered
1956	no value	no value	not covered
1957	no value	no value	not covered
1958	no value	no value	not covered
1959	no value	no value	not covered
1960	no value	no value	not covered
1961	no value	no value	not covered
1962	no value	no value	not covered
1963	no value	no value	not covered
1964	no value	no value	not covered
1965	no value	no value	not covered
1966	no value	no value	not covered
1967	no value	no value	not covered
1968	no value	no value	not covered
1969	no value	no value	not covered
1970	no value	no value	not covered
1971	no value	no value	not covered
1972	no value	no value	not covered
1973	no value	no value	not covered
1974	no value	no value	not covered
1975	no value	no value	not covered
1976	no value	no value	not covered
1977	no value	no value	not covered
1978	no value	no value	not covered
1979	no value	no value	not covered
1980	no value	no value	not covered
1981	no value	no value	not covered
1982	no value	no value	not covered
1983	no value	no value	not covered
1984	no value	no value	not covered
1985	no value	no value	not covered
1986	no value	no value	not covered
1987	10	4,239	observed
1988	no value	no value	not covered
1989	6	6,941	observed
1990	17	3,467	observed
1991	14	4,005	observed
1992	10	5,236	observed
1993	23	2,943	observed
1994	17	3,751	observed
1995	14	4,280	observed
1996	12	4,878	observed
1997	21	3,351	observed
1998	13	4,873	observed
1999	10	6,042	observed
2000	13	5,297	observed
2001	10	6,445	observed
2002	13	5,395	observed
2003	5	10,894	observed
2004	6	9,948	observed
2005	8	8,299	observed
2006	7	9,585	observed
2007	8	8,915	observed
2008	9	8,324	observed
2009	7	9,864	observed
2010	no value	no value	not covered
2011	no value	no value	not covered
2012	no value	no value	not covered
2013	no value	no value	not covered
2014	no value	no value	not covered
2015	5	12,086	observed
2016	6	10,744	observed
2017	no value	no value	not covered
2018	no value	no value	not covered
2019	no value	no value	not covered
2020	no value	no value	not covered
2021	5	12,146	observed
2022	no value	no value	not covered
2023	no value	no value	not covered
2024	no value	no value	not covered
2025	5	12,008	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

History

Historical scholarship

Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.

1884From the archives
Rutger— “spear of fame”
Rutger, _m._ _Neth._ Teu. spear of fame, 390
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Glossary of Christian Names · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Rutger Hauer
1944–2019
Dutch actor (1944–2019)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Rutger Bregman
born 1988
Dutch journalist, writer and historian
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Rutger Smith
born 1981
Dutch shot put and discus thrower
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck
1761–1825
Dutch ambassador and Grand pensionary of Holland (1761-1825)
Wikipedia Wikidata source

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-16.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms5

Wikidata Q2177560CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Polish Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Dutch Wiktionary: RutgerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: RogerCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences2

Wikimedia Commons: File:Nl-Rutger.oggCC-BY-SA-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikimedia Commons: File:LL-Q9027 (swe)-Moonhouse-Rutger.wavCC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Historical referencesOriginal texts and their publication details1

Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Glossary of Christian NamesPublic domain (Project Gutenberg) · rev. 2023-03-30 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates2

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Netherlands — SVB newborn names from child-benefit administration, 2017–2025
Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), Netherlands · Dutch public-sector database reuse assessment; no standard publisher licence stated · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

Rutger

About Rutger

Proto-Germanic origin

Where Rutger is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Rutger Hauer

Rutger Bregman

Rutger Smith

Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck

Roger

Ruderico

Rüdiger

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

Rutger

About Rutger

Proto-Germanic origin

Where Rutger is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Rutger Hauer

Rutger Bregman

Rutger Smith

Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck

Roger

Ruderico

Rüdiger

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About Rutger

Proto-Germanic origin

Where Rutger is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Rutger Hauer

Rutger Bregman

Rutger Smith

Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

Roger

Ruderico

Rüdiger

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About Rutger

Proto-Germanic origin

Where Rutger is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Rutger Hauer

Rutger Bregman

Rutger Smith

Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

Roger

Ruderico

Rüdiger

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page