Ruaridh
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ROOR-ee
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #455 for boys
- Style
- Big in Scotland
Ruaridh is a boys' name of Scottish origin, meaning “red king”. In 2025 it ranked 455th for boys in the UK (98 babies).
What does Ruaridh mean?
Scottish: spelling of Ruairidh
“red king”
A spelling of the Scottish Gaelic Ruairidh, the form of Rory used in Scotland.
Is Ruaridh a girl's or a boy's name?
Ruaridh is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 98 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ruaridh in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 455th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 98 about 1 in 3,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 3% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 98 boys in the UK were named Ruaridh, making it the 455th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 461st. Its busiest year was 2013, with 122 boys.
Half of all the boys named Ruaridh in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 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 Ruaridh or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #181, up from #455 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,465th in England and Wales and 52nd in Scotland.
Ruaridh in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98 | #455 |
| 2024 | 73 | #583 |
| 2023 | 107 | #423 |
| 2022 | 110 | #421 |
| 2021 | 87 | #513 |
| 2020 | 95 | #461 |
| 2019 | 108 | #438 |
| 2018 | 85 | #513 |
| 2017 | 113 | #425 |
| 2016 | 106 | #439 |
| 2015 | 107 | #436 |
| 2014 | 121 | #388 |
| 2013 | 122 | #378 |
| 2012 | 99 | #447 |
| 2011 | 90 | #469 |
| 2010 | 54 | #658 |
| 2009 | 52 | #672 |
| 2008 | 55 | #633 |
| 2007 | 39 | #779 |
| 2006 | 23 | #1,065 |
| 2005 | 37 | #757 |
| 2004 | 33 | #763 |
| 2003 | 24 | #900 |
| 2002 | 26 | #791 |
| 2001 | 28 | #707 |
| 2000 | 29 | #688 |
| 1999 | 23 | #782 |
| 1998 | 39 | #541 |
| 1997 | 42 | #505 |
| 1996 | 43 | #473 |
Names like Ruaridh
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Brody, River, Rowan, Yahya, Rayan, Musa, Bodhi, Muhammad, Lochlan, Rayyan, Rory, Ronnie
Other spellings of Ruaridh
Names related to Ruaridh
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, “Ruaridh: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ruaridh, updated 20 October 2026.