Rui

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Rui

Rui Patrício

Portuguese association football player

Choose Rui and your child shares a first name with Rui Patrício, a Portuguese association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Rui, like who?” Rui Patrício's Wikipedia article is available in 60 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Rui Patrício on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Анна Нэсси, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 34,843 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Rui, 49 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Rui would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRui first shows up in US birth records in 1967, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 58 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1974, when it reached #2,050.
• 📈Then vs nowRui is 8.0× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 277,778 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 34,843.
• 🚀TrendRui has climbed 929 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #2,641. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• ⚖️Boy or girlRui is given to both boys and girls: 83% of the 59 babies named Rui in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningRui is a Portuguese form of Roderick, which means “famous ruler”. Our records link it to French and Spanish roots.

About the name Rui

Rui is a boy name of French and Spanish origin meaning “famous ruler”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with R and ending in “-rui”. US birth records list Rui for boys from 1967 to 2025, in 54 of those 59 years. Its best year was 1974, when it ranked #2,050 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #2,641, with 49 babies.

Origin:French namesSpanish names