Namesakes
Biblical Characters:
1 character
Ruth (f) Ruth 1:4 
Emmy Award Winners:
1 actress
(actress) Ruth Gordon 1979 Taxi
Fictional Characters from Books:
2 characters
Ruth Hall 1854 Ruth Hall
Ruth 2000 Drowning Ruth
Fictional Characters from Television:
1 character
Ruth Fisher 2001 Six Feet Under
Notable Activists and Revolutionaries:
1 activist
(activist) Margot Kidder (middle name Ruth) 1948-2018
Notable Actors and Entertainers:
18 actors, 1 actor/model, 1 comedian/actor
Ruth Chatterton 1892-1961
Ruth Gordon 1896-1985
Ruth Etting 1896-1978
Bette Davis (a.k.a. Ruth) 1908-1989
Ruth Hussey 1911-2005
Betty Grable (middle name Ruth) 1916-1973
Ruth Roman 1922-1999
Melinda Dillon (middle name Ruth) 1939-2023
Ruth Madoc 1943-2022
Jacki Weaver (middle name Ruth) 1947-
Barbara Dickson (middle name Ruth) 1947-
Margot Kidder (middle name Ruth) 1948-2018
Ruth Jones 1966-
Maggie Gyllenhaal (middle name Ruth) 1977-
Ruth Negga 1981-
Ruth Wilson 1982-
Janet Montgomery (middle name Ruth) 1985-
Laura Harrier (middle name Ruth) 1990-
Sosie Bacon (middle name Ruth) 1992-
Francesca Eastwood (middle name Ruth) 1993-
Notable Filmmakers:
1 screenwriter
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 1927-2013
Notable Journalists:
1 journalist
(journalist) Ruth Gruber 1911-2016
Notable Musicians:
5 singers
Ruth Etting 1896-1978
Ruth Brown 1928-2006
Barbara Dickson (middle name Ruth) 1947-
Ruth Jacott 1960-
Melanie Blatt (middle name Ruth) 1975-
Notable Philosophers and Thinkers:
1 jurist
Ruth Bader Ginsburg 1933-2020
Notable Scientists and Inventors:
1 anthropologist
Ruth Benedict 1887-1948
Notable Writers:
3 authors, 1 author/poet
Alice Dunbar Nelson (middle name Ruth) 1875-1935
Ruth Chatterton 1892-1961
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 1927-2013
Ruth Rendell 1930-2015
Olympic Medalists:
4 gold, 3 bronze/gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze
(bronze) Ruth Svedberg 1928 discus throw
(silver) Evelyne Hall (middle name Ruth) 1932 80 m hurdles
(silver) Ruth Osburn 1932 discus throw
(silver) Ruth Halbsguth 1936 swimming - 4x100 m freestyle relay
(bronze) Bernice Lapp (middle name Ruth) 1936 swimming - 4x100 m freestyle relay
(bronze/gold) Ginny Duenkel (middle name Ruth) 1964 swimming - 100 m backstroke; swimming - 400 m freestyle
(bronze/gold) Keena Rothhammer (middle name Ruth) 1972 swimming - 200 m freestyle; swimming - 800 m freestyle
(gold) Ruth Fuchs 1972; 1976 javelin throw
(gold) Ruthie Bolton 1996; 2000 basketball
(gold) Ruth Riley 2004 basketball
(bronze/gold) Ruth Beitia 2012; 2016 high jump
(gold) Ruth Jebet 2016 3000 m steeplechase
Oscar Award Winners:
2 actresses
(actress) Bette Davis (a.k.a. Ruth) 1936; 1939 Dangerous; Jezebel
(actress) Ruth Gordon 1969 Rosemary's Baby
Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers:
1 musician
Ruth Brown 1993
Swiss Presidents:
1 president
Ruth Dreifuss 1999