Rufous as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Rufous

What is the meaning of the name Rufous ?

The baby name Rufous is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈrʌfəs/ (RUF-əs).

Rufous is Latin in Origin.

Rufous is a rare given name derived from the English color term rufous, ultimately from Latin rufus, meaning “red, ruddy, red-haired.” The -ous ending is an English adjectival suffix; as such, Rufous feels like a modern, nature-forward twist on the ancient Roman name Rufus, familiar from zoological descriptions like the rufous hummingbird.

While Rufous itself has little recorded historical use, its root Rufus was a common Roman cognomen and appears in early Christian tradition (a Rufus is greeted in Romans 16:13), which carried the name into medieval and early modern England - cf. William II “Rufus,” the Red. Variants and cognates include Rufus (standard English form), Rufo (Spanish/Italian), Rufino (Spanish/Portuguese/Italian, from Rufinus), and French Rufus; feminine forms are Rufina and Rufine. Nicknames include Ru, Rufe, and Ruffy. Meaning across forms remains “red-haired” or “ruddy.”

⚙ Rufous is a genuine rarity. We hold just 3 recorded uses of it, from 3 countries.