The borough was named for John Rutherfurd, a U.S. Senator who owned land in the area.
Rutherford has been called the "Borough of Trees" and "The First Borough of Bergen County".
In the 1870s, the area began to be called "Rutherford". The definitive reason for the change in spelling of the final syllable from "furd" to "ford" is unknown, though the change may have been the result of name recognition of the Ohio politician Rutherford B. Hayes, who was elected President in 1876, or could have been because of a clerical error done by the United States Postal Service.[32] The Post Office opened a facility called "Rutherford" in 1876. On September 21, 1881, the Borough of Rutherford was formed by formal vote of secession from Union Township.[25] By then, the community had about 1,000 residents.​

Historic sites
Rutherford is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:
Iviswold – 223 Montross Avenue (added 2004). Located on the campus of Felician College, a $9 million renovation project of the Iviswold castle that took 14 years was completed in 2013. Originally constructed by Floyd W. Tomkins in 1869, the house was expanded to three levels, 25 rooms and 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) by textbook publisher David Brinkerhoff Iverson after he acquired the home in 1887, based on a design by architect William H. Miller.[33]
Kip Homestead – 12 Meadow Road (added 1983).[34]
Rutherford station – Station Square (added 1984). New Jersey Transit initiated a $1 million project in 2009 to renovate the station, which had been constructed in 1898, to restore the interior of the structure.[35]
William Carlos Williams House – 9 Ridge Road (added 1973).[36]
Yereance-Berry House – 91 Crane Avenue (added 1983).[37]

BYOB restaurant with creative fare offering tasting menus, an upscale dining room & a back garden. Chef Peter’s four-course Prix-Fixe Menu is frequently updated to offer you the finest quality local and seasonal ingredients. All food is prepared fresh for each evening’s reservations.