Fun Facts About the Name Rui
- 972 babies named Rui: U.S. records list 972 babies given the name Rui from 1880 through 2025. Even 85 girls received the name Rui - about 1 girl for every 10 boys.
What Does the Name Rui Mean?
Rui is a Portuguese masculine name meaning "renowned ruler." It comes from a Germanic name reconstructed as Hrōþirīks, formed from hrōþi- ("fame, glory") and rīks ("ruler, king"). The same Germanic source produced Spanish Rodrigo, English Roderick, and German Rüdiger. In Portuguese, Rui is usually connected with Rodrigo - often described as a shortened form that became a name in its own right - and the two names trace back to the same older name.
Rui is also a romanization of Chinese given names, most often from 瑞 ruì, "auspicious omen," or 睿 ruì, "wise, perspicacious." These names are unrelated to the Portuguese one; they resemble it only when written in the Latin alphabet.
Rui Name History & Origins
The Germanic name behind Rui reached the Iberian Peninsula with the Visigoths, whose kingdom covered most of the peninsula from the fifth to the eighth century. Its Latinized form, Rodericus, appears in medieval Iberian records, and from it came both Rodrigo and the shorter Portuguese Rui. Medieval Portuguese texts also use the spelling Ruy; both forms circulated for centuries before Rui became the usual modern spelling.
Rui has long been a common given name in Portugal and Brazil. Bearers include the chronicler Rui de Pina, the Brazilian statesman and writer Rui Barbosa, and the Portuguese footballer Rui Costa.
In Chinese, ruì is used as one element of a two-character given name, and Rui is simply the pinyin spelling of that syllable. In Japanese, Rui is likewise a romanization, applied to given names written with various kanji, such as 塁; those names have their own separate origins and meanings.
How Popular is the Name Rui?
Rui has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2024. Its best rank was #2,106 in 1971.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,981 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #10,896 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #14,842 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #8,954 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #10,173 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #13,203 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #9,624 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #18,347 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #18,770 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #19,638 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #19,453 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,672 | 49 | 0.0029% |
| 2024 | #2,297 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 2023 | #2,763 | 47 | 0.0028% |
| 2022 | #2,987 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2021 | #3,409 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2020 | #3,634 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2019 | #4,772 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2018 | #5,269 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #6,598 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #5,279 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #5,019 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #5,025 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #5,131 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #8,026 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #3,873 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2010 | #6,631 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #8,859 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #4,239 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #4,948 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #5,028 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #8,168 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #9,740 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #6,180 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #6,952 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #8,162 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #8,951 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #11,276 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #6,734 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #5,212 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #6,390 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #7,648 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #6,577 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #5,850 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #5,728 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #8,982 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #4,719 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #5,360 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #3,837 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1985 | #5,655 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #3,071 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #2,891 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #4,921 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #4,430 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #3,071 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #2,998 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #2,463 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1977 | #2,641 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #3,066 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #2,190 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1974 | #2,112 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1973 | #4,416 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #2,797 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1971 | #2,106 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1967 | #4,442 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Rui Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Rui's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rui's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.