Ruaraidh
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ROO-a-ree
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,964 for boys
- Style
- Big in Scotland
Ruaraidh is a boys' name of Scottish origin, meaning “red king”. In 2025 it ranked 1,964th for boys in the UK (13 babies).
What does Ruaraidh mean?
Scottish: Scottish Gaelic form of Rory
“red king”
A Scottish Gaelic form of Rory, from ruadh 'red' and ri 'king'.
Is Ruaraidh a girl's or a boy's name?
Ruaraidh is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 13 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ruaraidh in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,964th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 13 about 1 in 23,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 13 boys in the UK were named Ruaraidh, making it the 1,964th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,185th. Its busiest year was 2008, with 18 boys.
2025 had more boys named Ruaraidh than any year since 2016.
Half of all the boys named Ruaraidh in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 18 boys in the UK were given Ruaraidh or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,326, up from #1,964 for this spelling alone.
- Ruaraidh 13
- Rhuari 5
Among boys in 2025, it was 278th in Scotland.
Ruaraidh in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #1,964 |
| 2024 | 11 | #2,149 |
| 2023 | 4 | #4,335 |
| 2022 | 6 | #3,219 |
| 2021 | 11 | #2,100 |
| 2020 | 10 | #2,185 |
| 2019 | 11 | #2,102 |
| 2018 | 4 | #4,169 |
| 2017 | 10 | #2,306 |
| 2016 | 16 | #1,655 |
| 2015 | 10 | #2,260 |
| 2014 | 11 | #2,054 |
| 2013 | 12 | #1,901 |
| 2012 | 17 | #1,542 |
| 2011 | 13 | #1,788 |
| 2010 | 7 | #2,775 |
| 2009 | 15 | #1,582 |
| 2008 | 18 | #1,378 |
| 2007 | 10 | #1,987 |
| 2006 | 6 | #2,645 |
| 2005 | 12 | #1,599 |
| 2004 | 16 | #1,239 |
| 2003 | 8 | #1,880 |
| 2002 | 8 | #1,728 |
| 2001 | 13 | #1,209 |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,237 |
| 1999 | 8 | #1,582 |
| 1998 | 14 | #1,062 |
| 1997 | 14 | #1,066 |
| 1996 | 14 | #1,021 |
Names like Ruaraidh
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Rhydian, Ruadh, Regan, Declan, Rogan, Brogan, Keelan, Rayden, Keenan, Aiden, Ryan, Keegan
Other spellings of Ruaraidh
Rhuari
Names related to Ruaraidh
More Scottish names
Isla, Finley, Logan, Arabella, Cameron, Bonnie, Paisley, Brody, Carson, Maxwell, Brodie, Finlay, Blair, Lennox, Skye, Knox
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, “Ruaraidh: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ruaraidh, updated 20 October 2026.