Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Ruairi is a variant of Ruaidhrí. An origin associated with Ruaidhrí is Celtic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1988. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ruairi through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 301
- 289 boys · 12 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 23 babies
- 2025
- 23
- #5,570 for boys · #14,595 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +47%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,570 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 27.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 296 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ruairi’s family of names
Ruairi has a related form in Ruaidhrí.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Ruairi
- Ruairi O'ConnorIrish actorborn 1991
- Ruairi QuinnIrish Labour Party politicianborn 1946
- Ruairi McConvilleNorthern Irish association football player (born 2005)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ruairi, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.