Ruaidhri
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ROO-ree
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #4,301 for boys
Big in Northern Ireland
Ruaidhri is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “red king”. In 2025 it ranked 4,301st for boys in the UK (4 babies).
What does Ruaidhri mean?
Irish: Irish ruadh 'red' + ri 'king'
“red king”
Ruaidri Ua Conchobair (Rory O'Connor) was the last High King of Ireland before the Norman invasion.
Is Ruaidhri a girl's or a boy's name?
Ruaidhri is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ruaidhri in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,301among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 4about 1 in 75,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 71% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 4 boys in the UK were named Ruaidhri, making it the 4,301st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,143rd. Its busiest year was 2022, with 15 boys.
Half of all the boys named Ruaidhri in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 344th in Northern Ireland.
Ruaidhri in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #4,301 |
| 2024 | 4 | #4,346 |
| 2023 | 4 | #4,335 |
| 2022 | 15 | #1,708 |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 1 | #6,143 |
| 2019 | 2 | #6,181 |
| 2018 | 4 | #4,169 |
| 2017 | 1 | #6,312 |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 1 | #6,179 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 3 | #4,999 |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 2 | #6,093 |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
| 2008 | 2 | #5,878 |
| 2007 | 4 | #3,748 |
| 2006 | 2 | #5,314 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 2 | #4,818 |
| 2003 | 5 | #2,574 |
| 2002 | 5 | #2,358 |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 1 | #4,018 |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
| 1998 | 3 | #3,021 |
| 1997 | 8 | #1,532 |
| 1996 | 2 | #3,734 |
Nicknames for Ruaidhri
- Rory 2,132 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Ruaidhri
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ravi Prithvi Rishi Kavi Avi Gurbaaz Rishiv Rudransh Riyansh Daithi Rivaan Avyaan
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ruaidhri: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ruaidhri, updated 20 October 2026.