Girl nameCurrently #63 in the USSteady
Ruby
ROO-bee//ˈruːbi//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19244 lettersStarts with R
Meaning & origin
Ruby gemstone
Ruby is a jewel name taken from the deep red gemstone, whose own name traces to the Latin 'ruber', meaning red. A Victorian favorite that faded through the mid-20th century, it has returned strongly since the 1990s as part of a broader vintage-gem-name trend.
Ruby's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Ruby |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 98 |
| 1881 | 119 |
| 1882 | 136 |
| 1883 | 163 |
| 1884 | 244 |
| 1885 | 277 |
| 1886 | 306 |
| 1887 | 318 |
| 1888 | 457 |
| 1889 | 527 |
| 1890 | 545 |
| 1891 | 565 |
| 1892 | 703 |
| 1893 | 778 |
| 1894 | 887 |
| 1895 | 973 |
| 1896 | 1,012 |
| 1897 | 1,036 |
| 1898 | 1,206 |
| 1899 | 1,114 |
| 1900 | 1,562 |
| 1901 | 1,238 |
| 1902 | 1,472 |
| 1903 | 1,557 |
| 1904 | 1,722 |
| 1905 | 1,900 |
| 1906 | 1,989 |
| 1907 | 2,136 |
| 1908 | 2,238 |
| 1909 | 2,539 |
| 1910 | 2,916 |
| 1911 | 3,401 |
| 1912 | 4,503 |
| 1913 | 4,963 |
| 1914 | 5,668 |
| 1915 | 7,295 |
| 1916 | 7,750 |
| 1917 | 7,713 |
| 1918 | 8,213 |
| 1919 | 8,390 |
| 1920 | 8,412 |
| 1921 | 8,407 |
| 1922 | 8,058 |
| 1923 | 8,291 |
| 1924 | 8,472 |
| 1925 | 7,908 |
| 1926 | 7,534 |
| 1927 | 7,345 |
| 1928 | 6,746 |
| 1929 | 6,216 |
| 1930 | 6,055 |
| 1931 | 5,394 |
| 1932 | 5,522 |
| 1933 | 4,998 |
| 1934 | 5,030 |
| 1935 | 4,822 |
| 1936 | 4,274 |
| 1937 | 4,342 |
| 1938 | 3,990 |
| 1939 | 3,743 |
| 1940 | 3,665 |
| 1941 | 3,606 |
| 1942 | 3,547 |
| 1943 | 3,498 |
| 1944 | 3,217 |
| 1945 | 2,926 |
| 1946 | 3,083 |
| 1947 | 3,092 |
| 1948 | 2,907 |
| 1949 | 2,600 |
| 1950 | 2,435 |
| 1951 | 2,367 |
| 1952 | 2,395 |
| 1953 | 2,362 |
| 1954 | 2,161 |
| 1955 | 2,022 |
| 1956 | 2,014 |
| 1957 | 1,788 |
| 1958 | 1,649 |
| 1959 | 1,509 |
| 1960 | 1,402 |
| 1961 | 1,287 |
| 1962 | 1,158 |
| 1963 | 1,393 |
| 1964 | 1,127 |
| 1965 | 997 |
| 1966 | 820 |
| 1967 | 756 |
| 1968 | 650 |
| 1969 | 688 |
| 1970 | 704 |
| 1971 | 742 |
| 1972 | 647 |
| 1973 | 645 |
| 1974 | 607 |
| 1975 | 638 |
| 1976 | 624 |
| 1977 | 607 |
| 1978 | 636 |
| 1979 | 669 |
| 1980 | 670 |
| 1981 | 689 |
| 1982 | 636 |
| 1983 | 603 |
| 1984 | 609 |
| 1985 | 605 |
| 1986 | 567 |
| 1987 | 642 |
| 1988 | 642 |
| 1989 | 788 |
| 1990 | 975 |
| 1991 | 1,021 |
| 1992 | 1,056 |
| 1993 | 1,056 |
| 1994 | 1,046 |
| 1995 | 1,066 |
| 1996 | 995 |
| 1997 | 1,045 |
| 1998 | 1,218 |
| 1999 | 1,215 |
| 2000 | 1,273 |
| 2001 | 1,372 |
| 2002 | 1,579 |
| 2003 | 1,718 |
| 2004 | 2,120 |
| 2005 | 2,472 |
| 2006 | 2,593 |
| 2007 | 2,908 |
| 2008 | 3,025 |
| 2009 | 3,024 |
| 2010 | 2,802 |
| 2011 | 2,775 |
| 2012 | 2,925 |
| 2013 | 3,329 |
| 2014 | 3,429 |
| 2015 | 3,467 |
| 2016 | 3,855 |
| 2017 | 3,593 |
| 2018 | 3,596 |
| 2019 | 3,746 |
| 2020 | 3,349 |
| 2021 | 3,610 |
| 2022 | 3,638 |
| 2023 | 3,369 |
| 2024 | 3,535 |
Ruby through the decades
- Ruby peaked in 1924, when 8,472 babies were named Ruby in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Ruby has risen 22% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Ruby currently ranks #63 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Ruby
Variants & spellings
Rubie
Famous people named Ruby
- Ruby Bridges — civil rights icon