Ruaridh
A masculine Scottish name derived from the Gaelic "Ruairidh," meaning either "red king" or "red-haired one."
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Ruaridh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ruaridh today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ruaridh births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ruaridh. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ruaridh with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ruaridh. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,810
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Ruaridh: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ruaridh by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ruaridh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ruaridh
The name Ruaridh originated from the Scottish Gaelic language, derived from the Old Norse name Røðr. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ruairidh, which is a Scottish variant of the Norse name Rǫgnvaldr or Rögnvaldr. The name means "famous ruler" or "illustrious ruler."
Ruaridh is a masculine given name that has its roots in the Viking era when Norse settlers arrived in Scotland, particularly in the Hebrides and Northern Isles. The name was widely used among Scottish clans and families with Norse heritage or connections.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ruaridh is found in the 12th century, when Ruairi or Roderic was the name of a Scottish king who ruled from 1107 to 1116. He was known as Ruairi mac Ailín, and his reign was marked by conflicts with the Norman nobility in Scotland.
In the 13th century, Ruaridh I, also known as Roderick or Rögnvaldr, was the Lord of the Isles and the founder of the Clan Donald. He played a significant role in the Scottish-Norwegian War, which led to the ceding of the Hebrides Islands to Scotland.
Another notable figure in history with the name Ruaridh was Ruairi Ó Conchobair, an Irish king who ruled Connacht in the 12th century. He was known for his conflicts with the Anglo-Norman invaders and his efforts to maintain Irish independence.
In the 16th century, Ruairi Mór MacLeòid, also known as Rory Mor or Roderick the Great, was the chief of the Clan MacLeod and played a crucial role in the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594, which secured the Protestant Reformation in Scotland.
In more recent times, Ruaridh Erskine, a Scottish actor born in 1973, has gained recognition for his roles in various television shows and films, including "The Night Manager" and "Outlander."
Throughout history, the name Ruaridh has been associated with Scottish and Irish nobility, clan leaders, and individuals of Norse-Gaelic heritage. It has remained a popular name in Scotland and Ireland, carrying a rich cultural and historical significance.
People
Ruaridh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ruaridh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ruaridh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ruaridh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ruaridh going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Ruaridh a common name?
We classify Ruaridh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ruaridh most popular?
The single biggest year for Ruaridh was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ruaridh is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ruaridh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ruaridh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ruaridh in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ruaridh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ruaridh in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ruaridh can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Ruaridh?
Want to know how many people share the name Ruaridh? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.