UK boy's name
Ruairi
Masculine name of Irish origin meaning "red king".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ruairi is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Ruairi popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #545, with 70 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 80 births.
This profile covers 1,104 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 88% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,663 living people in the UK are called Ruairi. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ruairi ranked #545 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 70 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 80 boys were registered as Ruairi.
- • Ruairi ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #61 in 2024.
- • About 2,663 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ruairi as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#545
2024
Births in 2024
70
Latest year
Peak year
2021
80 births
Estimated living
2,663
2026
Meaning
What does Ruairi mean?
The name Ruairi is of Irish origin, derived from the Old Irish name Ruaidhrí. It is composed of two elements: the first part, "ruadh," means red or reddish-brown, referring to hair color, while the second part, "rí," means king or sovereign.
Ruairi was a popular name among the ancient Irish nobility and royalty. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Irish annals and historical texts dating back to the 7th century AD. One notable bearer of the name was Ruairi Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland, who reigned from 1166 to 1198.
In medieval times, the name Ruairi was particularly prevalent among the ruling dynasties of Connacht and Ulster. Several Irish kings and princes bore this name, including Ruairi Ua Flaithbheartaigh (d. 1036), King of Iar Connacht, and Ruairi Ua Gadhra (d. 1118), King of Sloghterra.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Ruairi was also found among the ranks of the Norman-Irish nobility. One prominent figure was Ruairi de Burgh (d. 1243), a member of the powerful de Burgh family and Lord of Connaught.
Throughout Irish history, several notable figures have borne the name Ruairi. These include Ruairi Mor O'More (d. 1557), a chieftain and leader of the O'More clan during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, and Ruairi O'Donnell (1575-1608), a celebrated Gaelic lord and military leader who led a rebellion against English rule.
Other famous individuals named Ruairi include Ruairi MacSiúrtáin (1605-1670), a renowned Irish poet and scholar, and Ruairi Oge MacVarrili (d. 1718), a celebrated Irish harper and composer.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ruairi over time
The chart below shows babies named Ruairi registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ruairi, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 70 births in 2024, compared with 80 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ruairi by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ruairi was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #526 | 368 | 5 |
| 2010s | #826 | 422 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1054 | 194 | 10 |
| 1990s | #584 | 120 | 4 |
Geography
Where Ruairi is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ruairi. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Ruairi ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #61 in 2024.
Across the UK
Ruairi in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#138 in 2024
37 years of NRS records, 431 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#61 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 1,148 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ruairi
-
Ruairi McConville
association football player
Northern Irish association football player (born 2005)
2005-
-
Ruairi Kendall
candidate in the 2024 United Kingdom general election
Related
Names similar to Ruairi
- Ryan 68,692
- Riley 37,992
- Robert 27,462
- Reuben 25,122
- Rhys 24,418
- Reece 24,329
- Rory 21,870
- Roman 16,609
- Ronnie 16,445
- Reggie 14,684
- Rowan 14,371
- Ralph 8,892
FAQ
Ruairi: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ruairi in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ruairi was ranked #545 for boys in England and Wales, with 70 births registered.
When was Ruairi most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 80 babies registered as Ruairi in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ruairi?
Masculine name of Irish origin meaning "red king".
How many people are called Ruairi in the UK?
A total of 1,104 babies have been registered as Ruairi across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 431 more in Scotland and 1,148 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Ruairi most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ruairi ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #61 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.