Sultan of Swat's Real Name: George Herman Ruth Jr.

Quick answer: Sultan of Swat was a nickname for Babe Ruth, whose real name was George Herman Ruth Jr. He was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was also called the Bambino and the Colossus of Clout. He transformed baseball as a slugger for the New York Yankees after starting as a star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, and he was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He died in New York City on August 16, 1948, at 53 (Britannica; Biography.com).

Real name and early life

Britannica states that "George Herman Ruth, Jr., was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland." Biography.com uses the same full name, date, and city. The Library of Congress files him as "Ruth, Babe, 1895-1948," with variants including "Ruth, George Herman, 1895-1948" and "Sultan of Swat (Baseball player)."

His parents were George Herman Ruth Sr. and Kate Shamberger Ruth, who ran a tavern on the Baltimore waterfront. Britannica says the legend that he was an orphan is untrue, but his childhood was difficult. In 1902 his parents sent him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a Baltimore school run by the Xaverian Brothers, where he spent much of the next decade and learned to play baseball.

Career highlights

He began his major-league career with the Boston Red Sox as a left-handed pitcher, then became a slugging outfielder after going to the New York Yankees. Britannica says his home-run hitting produced an offensive revolution in the sport and made him the most celebrated American athlete of his era. In 1921, Britannica notes, he hit 59 home runs and drove in 170 runs; his salary later made him by far the highest-paid player in baseball. He played 22 major-league seasons, from 1914 through 1935. He was chosen as one of the first five members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, a year after his career ended. His official site is baberuth.com.

Death

He died in New York City on August 16, 1948, at 53. The Library of Congress and Britannica both record that date and city.

Name notes for searchers

George Herman Ruth Jr. was his legal name. Babe Ruth is the name by which he is almost universally known. Sultan of Swat, the Bambino, and Colossus of Clout were sportswriters' nicknames. This page keeps the slug sultan-of-swat because that is the form many searchers use.