girl's name · in the US
Rue
ROO (English)
- Origin Greek, English
- Gender Girl (US)
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 2,396
Scotland
#343
2024 births
Rue is a unisex name, used mostly for girls, with several meanings. It's the name of a bitter medicinal herb, from Greek rhyte; it's the French word for "street"; and it serves as a short form of Ruth, Ruby or Rose. Screen characters have made it fashionable.
- Rue is a name of Greek, English origin.
- Peaked in 2024, when 205 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 18,522 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1896.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rue Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 10 |
| 1900s | 18 |
| 1910s | 99 |
| 1920s | 132 |
| 1930s | 116 |
| 1940s | 76 |
| 1950s | 108 |
| 1960s | 18 |
| 1970s | 11 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 306 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 990 |
What Rue Means
Rue most directly means the herb, long connected with remorse, since the English verb to rue means to regret. Many parents hear it as a soft, short name and care more for the sound than the word.
Where Rue Comes From
The plant name reached English through Old French rue from Latin ruta and Greek rhyte. The verb rue, to regret, is a separate Old English word, hrēowan, but poets joined the two, which is why Ophelia hands out rue in Hamlet as the herb of grace. Rue was also a nickname for Ruth and Ruby, with US records going back to the 1890s. French rue, street, comes from Latin ruga, a wrinkle or furrow. Modern use has climbed with screen characters, including Rue in The Hunger Games and Rue Bennett, played by Zendaya in Euphoria.
Rue in Use
Actress Rue McClanahan of The Golden Girls gave the name American visibility in an earlier generation. US girls named Rue went from 41 in 2019, the year Euphoria began, to 183 in 2022.
How Popular Is Rue?
In 2025, Rue was given to 179 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Rue Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Rue
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Rue Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rue over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Rue is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Girls' 93% girls · 1,150 babies
- England & Wales Both 73% girls · 397 babies
- Canada Girls' 100% girls · 56 babies
How to Say Rue
- English ROO
Rue 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.
Sibling Names for Rue
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Rue — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Rue
What does the name Rue mean?
It's a bitter herb, a French word for street, and a short form of Ruth.
Is Rue a boy's or a girl's name?
It's unisex and is used mostly for girls.
Why is Rue popular now?
Characters in The Hunger Games and Euphoria have drawn attention to it.
How many syllables are in Rue?
Rue has 1 syllable.
Is Rue a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rue currently ranks #343 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.