Tru
Tru was the 591st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 496 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,425 places. More babies were named Tru in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning true (respelled English word) · American English, English
Say it TROO /tru/
- Rank in 2025
- #591 boys, up 223 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 496boys
- Girls and boys
- 38% girls, 62% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025496 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,324babies recorded
What does the name Tru mean?
Tru is a recent American name, a short respelling of the English word true. The American Heritage Dictionary traces true to Middle English trewe and Old English trēowe, firm or trustworthy. It may also serve as a short form of names such as Truman or Truett, but our sources do not document that use. Tru appears in US records from 1995 for both boys and girls.
trēowe (Old English, “firm, trustworthy”)
How sure is this? Probable. The link to 'true' is inferred from the spelling; Tru itself is not in our dictionaries.
Related names: True, Truett, Truman.
See also: English names, virtue names.
Sources for this meaning
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'true' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Tru popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #974 | #591 | 262 | 496 |
| 2020 | #1,482 | #814 | 145 | 286 |
| 2010 | #2,801 | #1,972 | 63 | 71 |
| 2000 | — | #3,905 | — | 21 |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Tru, counting every spelling?
Tru is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #563 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #591 for Tru on its own. Together these spellings went to 526 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tru | 496 | #591 | 2,190 |
| Truu | 30 | #3,744 | 122 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Tru?
496 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tru (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Tru born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tru.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tru?
About 3,800 people born in the US named Tru are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 2 and 8. That makes Tru a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Tru by state
How common Tru was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (5.0×), Mississippi (3.3×), Arkansas (2.8×), Georgia (2.6×), Maryland (2.3×). In 17 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tru: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tru, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Tru · Sibling names for Tru
Questions about the name Tru
What does Tru mean?
Tru means “true (respelled English word)” (American English, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Tru?
Tru was the 591st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 496 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,425 places. More babies were named Tru in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Tru a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 38% girls, 62% boys given the name Tru in the US.
Where is Tru most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tru was most common in Louisiana (1.26 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Arkansas.