Ruairi
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ROOR-ee
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #318 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #5,397 for boys
- Style
- Big in Scotland, big in Northern Ireland
Ruairi is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “red king”. In 2025 it ranked 318th for boys in the UK (154 babies) and 5,397th for boys in the US (17 babies).
What does Ruairi mean?
Irish: Irish form of Ruaidhrí
“red king”
An Irish spelling of Ruaidhrí, the source of Rory.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ruairi a girl's or a boy's name?
Ruairi is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 girls and 154 boys in the UK and 6 girls and 17 boys in the US.
How popular is Ruairi in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 318th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 154 about 1 in 1,900 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 14% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 154 boys in the UK were named Ruairi, making it the 318th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 382nd. 4 girls were also named Ruairi in 2025 (4,935th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the most boys named Ruairi of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Ruairi in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2021. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 347 boys in the UK were given Ruairi or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #181, up from #318 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 497th in England and Wales, 163rd in Scotland and 38th in Northern Ireland.
Ruairi in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 154 | #318 |
| 2024 | 147 | #337 |
| 2023 | 141 | #345 |
| 2022 | 121 | #390 |
| 2021 | 144 | #354 |
| 2020 | 130 | #382 |
| 2019 | 142 | #358 |
| 2018 | 117 | #411 |
| 2017 | 120 | #409 |
| 2016 | 92 | #488 |
| 2015 | 71 | #585 |
| 2014 | 92 | #488 |
| 2013 | 75 | #541 |
| 2012 | 84 | #505 |
| 2011 | 62 | #617 |
| 2010 | 91 | #457 |
| 2009 | 81 | #493 |
| 2008 | 69 | #547 |
| 2007 | 80 | #472 |
| 2006 | 73 | #484 |
| 2005 | 67 | #470 |
| 2004 | 66 | #458 |
| 2003 | 60 | #459 |
| 2002 | 67 | #393 |
| 2001 | 69 | #392 |
| 2000 | 82 | #353 |
| 1999 | 88 | #334 |
| 1998 | 89 | #325 |
| 1997 | 89 | #324 |
| 1996 | 42 | #479 |
How popular is Ruairi in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,397th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 17 about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 17 boys in the US were named Ruairi, making it the 5,397th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,694th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 21 boys. It first appears in the records in 1988. 6 girls were also named Ruairi in 2025 (13,203rd for girls).
Half of all the boys named Ruairi in the US since 1880 were born between 2005 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Ruairi in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #5,397 |
| 2024 | 14 | #6,194 |
| 2023 | 10 | #7,733 |
| 2022 | 21 | #4,697 |
| 2021 | 17 | #5,333 |
| 2020 | 20 | #4,694 |
| 2019 | 13 | #6,401 |
| 2018 | 9 | #8,150 |
| 2017 | 9 | #8,136 |
| 2016 | 11 | #7,152 |
| 2015 | 14 | #5,995 |
| 2014 | 9 | #8,124 |
| 2013 | 6 | #10,722 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,858 |
| 2011 | 6 | #10,801 |
| 2010 | 6 | #10,759 |
| 2009 | 9 | #8,305 |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 7 | #9,782 |
| 2006 | 6 | #10,655 |
| 2005 | 10 | #7,089 |
| 2004 | 7 | #8,921 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 9 | #7,048 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 6 | #8,697 |
| 1998 | 7 | #7,553 |
| 1997 | 8 | #6,612 |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 6 | #7,785 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 6 | #6,420 |
Names like Ruairi
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kairo, Yusuf, Rumi, Loki, Ronan, Yunus, Sami, Bodhi, Rowan, Tadhg, Rayyan, Musa
Other spellings of Ruairi
More Irish names
Oscar, Rory, Maeve, Finn, Aiden, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Connor, Declan, Casey, Kennedy, Callan
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ruairi: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ruairi, updated 20 October 2026.