Rubey
A diminutive form of the name Ruby, derived from the gemstone and meaning "deep red".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Rubey. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rubey today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rubey births was 2016 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rubey. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rubey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2016
6 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2016 SSA rank
#15,873
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Rubey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rubey from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rubey 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 Rubey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rubey
The name Rubey is believed to have originated in the late 18th century as a variant of the English name Ruby, which derives from the Latin word "ruber" meaning red. It was likely inspired by the deep red gemstone, the ruby, which has been prized for its beauty and rarity throughout history.
In ancient Sanskrit texts, the ruby is referred to as "ratna-raj" or "king of gemstones," reflecting its high status and value in Indian culture. The name Rubey may have been influenced by this association with royalty and prestige.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rubey can be found in the 1801 baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire, England, where a Rubey Smith was christened. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Notably, Rubey Ellen Hill (1856-1922) was an American educator and writer who served as the first principal of the Normal School for Girls in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her contributions to the education of young women in the American Southwest were significant.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rubey Marguerite Hulen (1892-1965), an American poet and author from Oklahoma. Her work often explored themes of nature and rural life, reflecting her upbringing in the Ozark region.
In the realm of sports, Rubey Glover (1900-1960) was an American baseball player who played for the Detroit Tigers in the 1920s. He was known for his defensive skills as an outfielder and his speed on the basepaths.
Rubey Dee Freiday (1904-1990) was an American artist and illustrator, best known for her depictions of Native American life and culture. Her works were featured in several exhibitions and publications throughout her career.
Finally, Rubey Blanche Laffon (1908-1990) was a French painter and sculptor who achieved recognition for her abstract and surrealist works. Her sculptures and paintings are held in several prestigious collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
While the name Rubey remains relatively uncommon, these individuals have left their mark in various fields, from education and literature to sports, art, and culture, showcasing the diversity of achievements associated with this distinctive name.
People
Rubey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rubey 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
Rubey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rubey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rubey 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Rubey a common name?
We classify Rubey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rubey most popular?
The single biggest year for Rubey was 2016, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rubey is about 12 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 Rubey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rubey a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rubey in the SSA data are female. 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 Rubey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rubey 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 Rubey 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 common is the name Rubey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Rubey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.