Ruairidh
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ROOR-ee
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #546 for boys
- Style
- Big in Scotland
Ruairidh is a boys' name of Scottish origin, meaning “red king”. In 2025 it ranked 546th for boys in the UK (78 babies).
What does Ruairidh mean?
Scottish: Scottish Gaelic form of Rory
“red king”
The Scottish Gaelic form of Rory, traditionally anglicised as Roderick.
Is Ruairidh a girl's or a boy's name?
Ruairidh is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 78 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ruairidh in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 546th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 78 about 1 in 3,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 21% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 78 boys in the UK were named Ruairidh, making it the 546th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 594th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 96 boys.
Half of all the boys named Ruairidh in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2020. 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 Ruairidh or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #181, up from #546 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,130th in England and Wales and 73rd in Scotland.
Ruairidh in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | #546 |
| 2024 | 96 | #465 |
| 2023 | 69 | #597 |
| 2022 | 52 | #722 |
| 2021 | 58 | #690 |
| 2020 | 69 | #594 |
| 2019 | 73 | #571 |
| 2018 | 58 | #675 |
| 2017 | 72 | #586 |
| 2016 | 51 | #738 |
| 2015 | 39 | #871 |
| 2014 | 37 | #891 |
| 2013 | 45 | #784 |
| 2012 | 39 | #873 |
| 2011 | 38 | #859 |
| 2010 | 36 | #883 |
| 2009 | 33 | #919 |
| 2008 | 37 | #837 |
| 2007 | 26 | #1,031 |
| 2006 | 29 | #914 |
| 2005 | 32 | #832 |
| 2004 | 30 | #807 |
| 2003 | 31 | #754 |
| 2002 | 36 | #615 |
| 2001 | 34 | #617 |
| 2000 | 42 | #531 |
| 1999 | 47 | #497 |
| 1998 | 62 | #404 |
| 1997 | 53 | #439 |
| 1996 | 51 | #437 |
Names like Ruairidh
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ronan, Brody, Rowan, Rory, Renley, Conan, Orhan, Callan, Lochlan, Rian, Douglas, Amir
Other spellings of Ruairidh
Names related to Ruairidh
More Scottish names
Isla, Finley, Logan, Arabella, Cameron, Bonnie, Paisley, Carson, Maxwell, Brodie, Finlay, Blair, Lennox, Skye, Knox, Dallas
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, “Ruairidh: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ruairidh, updated 20 October 2026.