Rufus
Rufus is a boys' name of Latin origin meaning “red-haired.” Rufus is a Latin cognomen meaning 'red-haired' or 'ruddy.
how do you pronounce Rufus?
ROO-fus
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Rufus mean?
The name Rufus means “red-haired.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.
Rufus is a Latin cognomen meaning 'red-haired' or 'ruddy.' It was common among the Romans and early Christians — Simon of Cyrene's son was named Rufus in Mark's Gospel. William Rufus was an English king. The name has a friendly, warm energy with historical depth, popular among creative and musical families.
where does the name Rufus come from?
The Wikipedia entry retrieved for Rufus gives no meaning or derivation — only that it functions as a given name, surname, Ancient Roman cognomen, and nickname. The 'red-haired' gloss commonly given elsewhere isn't confirmed by anything found here.
the history of Rufus
Beyond identifying it as an Ancient Roman cognomen still used as a modern given name and surname, the source gives no further historical detail — the Biblical Simon-of-Cyrene reference and the English king William Rufus aren't addressed by anything retrieved here.
who are famous people named Rufus?
- Rufus Wainwright (Canadian-American singer-songwriter)
- William Rufus (William II of England)
what names are similar to Rufus?
what names go well with Rufus?
Sibling names that share Rufus's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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