Rory

Did you know?

A few things about Rory you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Rory

Rory Gallagher

Irish guitarist (1948–1995)

Choose Rory and your child shares a first name with Rory Gallagher, an Irish guitarist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Rory, like who?” Rory Gallagher's Wikipedia article is available in 41 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Rory Gallagher on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Harry Potts, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 966 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Rory, 1,768 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Rory would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRory first shows up in US birth records in 1933, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 92 years since.
• 🏆Best yearRory is at its all-time high right now: #199 in 2025.
• 📈Then vs nowRory is 7.0× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 6,770 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 966.
• 🚀TrendRory has climbed 131 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #199. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedRory is most popular in Massachusetts, where it ranks #56, followed by Connecticut (#97) and New Hampshire (#106). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlRory is given to both boys and girls: 57% of the 3,100 babies named Rory in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Irish, Rory means “red king”. Our records link it to Celtic and Irish roots.

About the name Rory

Rory is a gender-neutral name of Celtic and Irish origin meaning “red king”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-ory”. US birth records list Rory for boys from 1933 to 2025, in 88 of those 93 years. Its best year was 2025, when it ranked #199 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #199, with 1,768 babies. Of the 3,100 US babies named Rory in 2025, 43% were girls and 57% were boys.

Origin:Celtic namesIrish names