Ruby
Ruby was the 64th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,554 babies. Its best year was 1911, when it ranked 22nd; the most babies were born in 1924 (8,406). Over the last ten years it has moved up 19 places. More babies were named Ruby in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning ruby (the red gemstone) · English, Latin
Say it ROO-bee /ˈrubi/
- Rank in 2025
- #64 girls, up 10 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,554girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19248,406 babies
- Total since 1880
- 379,684babies recorded
What does the name Ruby mean?
Ruby is the name of the red gemstone. The word came into English in the Middle Ages from Old French rubi, which goes back to Latin words for 'red' (rubeus, rubinus). DMNES records Ruby as a woman's name in an English marriage record of 1581 and notes that calling it a modern coinage is wrong. It became much more common in the late 1800s, when Victorian parents took up jewel names such as Pearl and Opal. The ruby is the traditional birthstone for July.
rubi (Old French, “ruby”)rubeus (Latin, “red”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Rubie, Rubi, Rubye.
See also: English names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ruby', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ruby', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Ruby (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Ruby popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 3,114 since 1880, 15 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #64 | 3,554 |
| 2020 | #74 | 3,342 |
| 2010 | #113 | 2,798 |
| 2000 | #258 | 1,266 |
| 1990 | #291 | 954 |
| 1980 | #357 | 659 |
| 1970 | #358 | 694 |
| 1960 | #229 | 1,386 |
| 1950 | #130 | 2,414 |
| 1940 | #66 | 3,619 |
| 1930 | #36 | 5,993 |
| 1920 | #26 | 8,336 |
| 1910 | #27 | 2,893 |
| 1900 | #51 | 1,540 |
| 1890 | #81 | 540 |
| 1880 | #149 | 92 |
How popular is Ruby, counting every spelling?
Ruby is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #72 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #64 for Ruby on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,826 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | 3,554 | #64 | 17,671 |
| Rubi | 225 | #1,079 | 1,091 |
| Rubie | 36 | #4,051 | 211 |
| Rubee | 11 | #9,347 | 61 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ruby?
3,554 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ruby (0.99 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ruby born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ruby.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ruby?
About 151,700 people born in the US named Ruby are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 11 and 71. That makes Ruby mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ruby by state
How common Ruby was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (3.9×), Vermont (3.6×), Montana (3.4×), Utah (3.0×), Alaska (2.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Florida, Texas, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ruby: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ruby, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Ruby
What does Ruby mean?
Ruby means “ruby (the red gemstone)” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ruby?
Ruby was the 64th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,554 babies. Its best year was 1911, when it ranked 22nd; the most babies were born in 1924 (8,406). Over the last ten years it has moved up 19 places. More babies were named Ruby in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Ruby a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ruby in the US.
Where is Ruby most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ruby was most common in Wyoming (8.45 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Montana.