Rutter

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Ritter in US United States, AU Australia, CA Canada and 14 more.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested in 1 language in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Rutter is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate surname2.0K records spelled Rutter3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India

  Also written Rütter, Rútter

• French surname1.7K records spelled Rutter3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, United Kingdom, Spain

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Rütter

• Swedish surname226 records spelled Rutter7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway

  Languages: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian

  Also written Rütter

• Russian surname182 records spelled Rutter11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian

  Also written Руттер, Раттер, Rütter, Раттёр, Рутэр

• Italian surname179 records spelled Rutter2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom

  Also written Rütter

37 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Rutter is also recorded in 4 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, from OFr roteor/roteeur/routeeur ‘a player on the rote’; first attested Simon le rotur Hy 2 DC (Leicestershire)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, rote; see Root 2. 2. nickname for an unscrupulous person, from OF ro(u)tier robber, highwayman, footpad (see Reu¬ Dims.: Fr.: Rouselet, Rousselin, Rousselot. It.: Rossellini. Patrs.: Fr.: Aurousseau. Flem.: Rosseels. Rutten see Rode ter 2).

  as a name·The Oxford Names Companion - The definitive guide to Surnames, First Names, and Place Names of the British Isles

• In English, A horseman or cavalryman, especially a German one, associated with the wars of the 16th and 17th centuries.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Swedish, indefinite plural of rutt

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

FR INSEE — Fichier des noms de famille (1891–2000) — 11 years between 1891–1991. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• William J. Rutterb. 1927USAmerican biochemist
• Michael Rutterb. 1933GBBritish psychiatrist (1933–2021)
• Keith Rutterb. 1934GBfootballer (born 1934)
• John Rutterb. 1945GBBritish composer, conductor and arranger
• Barrie Rutterb. 1946GBTheatre director and actor
• Jane Rutterb. 1958AUAustralian flautist
• Brad Rutterb. 1978USAmerican game show contestant
• Adam Rutterb. 1986AUOlympic racewalker
• Georginio Rutterb. 2002FRFrench footballer (born 2002)
• Kate RutterGBEnglish actress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 35 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Rutter?

We estimate roughly 48 thousand people bear Rutter (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does Rutter have the most bearers?

We estimate about 33 thousand people bear Rutter in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled ritter.

Where is Rutter most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Rutter is densest in Switzerland — about 1 in 2.9 thousand people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

How common is Rutter compared with other names?

In the United States, Rutter is the 739th most common surname of 7,257,200 surnames recorded there.

What does the name Rutter mean?

Recorded meaning: (i) Player of the rote, a medieval stringed instrument; (ii) nickname for a dishonest or untrustworthy person.