UK boy's name
Rupert
Derived from Old German elements meaning "bright" and "fame".
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.
Rupert is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Rupert popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #83, with 637 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 670 births.
This profile covers 7,486 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 95% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 7,552 living people in the UK are called Rupert. 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
- • Rupert ranked #83 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 637 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 670 boys were registered as Rupert.
- • Rupert ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #272 in 2023.
- • About 7,552 living people in the UK are estimated to have Rupert as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#83
2024
Births in 2024
637
Latest year
Peak year
2022
670 births
Estimated living
7,552
2026
Meaning
What does Rupert mean?
The name Rupert has its origins in the Germanic languages, deriving from the elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright". It emerged during the Middle Ages, with early forms like "Rodbertus" and "Ruadberht". The name was particularly popular among the Franks and Anglo-Saxons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name comes from a 7th-century Frankish nobleman named Rupert of Salzburg, who later became the patron saint of the city. He played a significant role in establishing Christianity in the region and is credited with founding the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter's in Salzburg.
Another notable figure was Rupert, Count of Nassau, who lived from around 1075 to 1124. He was a German nobleman and crusader who participated in the First Crusade and later became the ruler of the Principality of Galilee in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
In England, the name gained prominence with Rupert of the Rhine, also known as Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619-1682), a renowned military commander and nephew of King Charles I. He played a crucial role in the English Civil War, leading the Royalist cavalry forces.
Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) was an English poet and soldier, renowned for his idealistic war sonnets and his association with the Georgian poets. He tragically died during World War I while serving in the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rupert Murdoch (born 1931), the Australian-American media mogul, and businessman who founded News Corp, one of the world's largest media conglomerates. He has had a significant influence on the global media landscape.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Rupert over time
The chart below shows babies named Rupert 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 Rupert, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 637 births in 2024, compared with 670 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rupert by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Rupert 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 | #89 | 3,145 | 5 |
| 2010s | #191 | 3,549 | 10 |
| 2000s | #506 | 575 | 10 |
| 1990s | #420 | 217 | 4 |
Geography
Where Rupert is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Rupert. 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.
Rupert ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #272 in 2023.
Across the UK
Rupert in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#307 in 2024
17 years of NRS records, 102 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#272 in 2023
2 years of NISRA records, 9 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Rupert
-
Rupert Staudinger
luger
British luge-runner
1997-
-
Rupert Shipperley
field hockey player
Welsh field hockey player
1992-
-
Rupert Simonian
actor; television actor; film actor
British actor
1991-
-
Rupert Young
actor; stage actor; television actor; film actor
English actor
1978-
-
Rupert Wyatt
screenwriter; cinematographer; film producer; film director; film screenwriter
English writer and film director
1972-
-
Rupert Thorneloe
military personnel
British military officer
1969-2009
-
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
journalist
British television reporter
1967-
-
Rupert Wainwright
screenwriter; actor; television director; film director; director
British film director
1961-
Related
Names similar to Rupert
- 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
Rupert: questions and answers
How popular is the name Rupert in the UK right now?
In 2024, Rupert was ranked #83 for boys in England and Wales, with 637 births registered.
When was Rupert most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 670 babies registered as Rupert in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Rupert?
Derived from Old German elements meaning "bright" and "fame".
How many people are called Rupert in the UK?
A total of 7,486 babies have been registered as Rupert across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 102 more in Scotland and 9 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Rupert most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Rupert ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #272 in 2023. 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.