UK boy's name
Ruslan
A Turkish masculine name derived from the Persian word meaning "lion".
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.
Ruslan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Ruslan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 7 births.
This profile covers 62 England and Wales registrations across 15 recorded years from 2003 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 62 living people in the UK are called Ruslan. 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
- • Ruslan ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 7 boys were registered as Ruslan.
- • About 62 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ruslan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5119
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2007
7 births
Estimated living
62
2026
Meaning
What does Ruslan mean?
The name Ruslan has its origins in the Persian language, deriving from the word "rustin," which means "brave" or "valiant." It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 9th or 10th century AD, within the territories of the Persian Empire.
One of the earliest known references to the name Ruslan can be found in the epic poem "Ruslan and Ludmila" by Alexander Pushkin, the renowned Russian poet of the early 19th century. In this poem, Ruslan is portrayed as a heroic knight who embarks on a quest to rescue his beloved Ludmila from the clutches of an evil sorcerer.
Another historical figure bearing the name Ruslan was Ruslan Gerberstein, a 16th-century diplomat and chronicler from the Grand Duchy of Moscow. His accounts of the Russian Empire during the reign of Ivan the Terrible are considered valuable historical sources.
In the realm of literature, Ruslan Khalidov was a prominent 20th-century Soviet writer and literary critic, known for his works on Azerbaijani and Persian literature. He was born in 1910 and passed away in 1988.
Ruslan Provodnikov, born in 1984, is a former professional boxer from Russia who held the WBO interim light welterweight title in 2013. He was known for his relentless fighting style and memorable bouts against renowned boxers like Timothy Bradley and Mike Alvarado.
Ruslan Tsarni, born in 1953, is an American citizen of Chechen descent who gained attention in 2013 for his public condemnation of the Boston Marathon bombing carried out by his nephews, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
While the name Ruslan has its roots in the Persian language, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and languages, particularly in the Slavic regions, where it has gained popularity as a given name for males.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ruslan over time
The chart below shows babies named Ruslan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2003 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 Ruslan, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ruslan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ruslan 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 | #4700 | 10 | 3 |
| 2010s | #3851 | 35 | 8 |
| 2000s | #3374 | 17 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Ruslan
- 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
Ruslan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ruslan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ruslan was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Ruslan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 7 babies registered as Ruslan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ruslan?
A Turkish masculine name derived from the Persian word meaning "lion".
How many people are called Ruslan in the UK?
A total of 62 babies have been registered as Ruslan across the 15 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.