Latin for 'red-haired' or 'ruddy'; used as a Roman cognomen.
Rufus is a Latin cognomen meaning simply 'red-haired' or 'ruddy,' from the adjective *rufus*. In ancient Rome it was widely used as a personal nickname and eventually a formal name, following the Roman practice of naming individuals for conspicuous physical traits. The New Testament mentions a Rufus in the Gospel of Mark — believed to be the son of Simon of Cyrene, who helped carry the cross — giving the name early Christian resonance and helping it survive into the medieval period.
In medieval England, Rufus gained particular notoriety through William II, King of England, known to history as William Rufus for his red complexion and hair. His mysterious death in the New Forest in 1100 — possibly assassination — gave the name a faintly dramatic undertone. The name remained in steady if modest use through the Victorian era, when Roman names enjoyed a nostalgic revival among the English middle classes.
Various bearers across the centuries have included Rufus Choate, the 19th-century American orator and lawyer renowned for his florid courtroom style. In the modern era, Rufus has undergone a quiet rehabilitation from its image as an archaic curio. Musician Rufus Wainwright brought it a bohemian, artistic credibility, and in Britain the name has enjoyed genuine revival as parents seek distinctive names with classical grounding.
In the United States it carries a warm, slightly eccentric character — the kind of name that suggests both intellectual confidence and a certain unpretentiousness. It also appears affectionately in popular culture, most memorably as the name of the naked mole rat in the animated series *Kim Possible*.