boy's name
Ruaridh
ROO-uh-ree
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 100 (Scotland)
- Births on record 2,246
Scotland
#86
2024 births
Ruaridh is a boy's name of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "red king," a shortened spelling of Ruairidh. It ranks 86th in Scotland and is new in our records, having entered them only in 2016.
- Ruaridh is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in Scotland in 2013, when 108 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in Scotland.
- Today about 1 in 635 babies in Scotland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1974.
Ruaridh over time
Births per decade in Scotland, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2024, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 13 |
| 1980s | 90 |
| 1990s | 262 |
| 2000s | 294 |
| 2010s | 864 |
| 2020s (to 2024) | 396 |
What Ruaridh means
Ruaridh means red king, from ruadh, red or red-haired, and rí, a king. Ruadh names the red-brown of hair and cattle rather than a bright red, so the sense is a king with red hair.
Where Ruaridh comes from
Ruaridh is one of several spellings of the Scottish Gaelic name anglicized as Rory, from the older Ruaidhrí — ruadh, red, and rí, king. Scotland writes it Ruairidh in full Gaelic orthography and Ruaridh in a shortened form that drops one vowel; Ireland writes Ruairí; and all three anglicize to Rory. Which spelling a family chooses is a statement about how Gaelic they want the name to look rather than a difference in the name itself, and Scottish records carry all of them simultaneously. The name belonged to rulers on both sides of the Irish Sea, including Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland, and generations of MacLeod and MacDonald chiefs. It is unrelated to the Norse Rurik, which is a separate Germanic name.
Ruaridh in use
Ruaridh ranks 86th in Scotland with 60 births in 2024 and 1,524th in England and Wales. Our records carry it only from 2016 and mark it new, which reflects when this particular spelling first cleared the reporting threshold rather than the age of the name — Ruairidh, the fuller spelling, sits at 56th in the same market and has been in our records since 1975.
How popular is Ruaridh?
In 2024, Ruaridh was given to 60 babies in Scotland, ranking #86 that year. It is one of the most popular names in Scotland.
Where Ruaridh is used
Figures for Scotland withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ruaridh
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ruaridh also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ruaridh over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ruaridh in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Irish
- Rory
Sibling names for Ruaridh
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ruaridh — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ruaridh
What does the name Ruaridh mean?
Ruaridh means "red king," from ruadh, red-haired, and rí, a king.
What is the difference between Ruaridh and Ruairidh?
Only spelling. Ruairidh is the full Gaelic orthography; Ruaridh is a shortened variant. Both are said the same way.
How do you pronounce Ruaridh?
ROO-uh-ree, the same as Rory. The dh is silent.
How popular is Ruaridh?
Eighty-sixth in Scotland.
Is Ruaridh a girl's or a boy's name?
Ruaridh is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
Is Ruaridh a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ruaridh currently ranks #86 in Scotland. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.