Fun Facts About the Name Ruqaiyah
- 72 babies named Ruqaiyah: U.S. records list 72 babies given the name Ruqaiyah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ruqaiyah Mean?
Ruqaiyah is an English spelling of the Arabic feminine name Ruqayyah (رُقَيَّة). It is a diminutive of the Arabic word ruqyah (رُقْيَة), meaning 'charm,' 'incantation,' or 'spell' - a spoken formula, often drawn from the Quran, used for healing. The diminutive pattern fuʿaylah gives the sense 'little ruqyah' or 'small charm.' The root ر-ق-ي (r-q-y) also produces words for 'ascent' or 'rising,' and some modern interpretations connect the name to that idea of elevation. The customary etymology, however, treats the name as a diminutive of ruqyah.
Ruqaiyah Name History & Origins
The name is known from early Islamic history. Its best-known early bearer was Ruqayyah bint Muhammad, a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and Khadijah. She married Uthman ibn Affan, a companion who later became the third caliph. According to traditional accounts, she emigrated with her husband to Abyssinia and then to Medina, and she died around 2 AH (624 CE). Her sister Umm Kulthum later also married Uthman, and the two sisters are remembered together in early Islamic accounts.
In Shia tradition, a different Ruqayyah is remembered as a daughter of Husayn ibn Ali. A shrine in Damascus is associated with her, though the details of her life come mainly from devotional accounts rather than documentary history. The name is used in Arabic-speaking countries and in other Muslim communities, appearing in Persian as رقیه (Roqayyeh), in Turkish as Rukiye, and in Urdu as رقیہ (Ruqayya). These forms reflect transliteration and adaptation across languages, not separate origins.
How Popular is the Name Ruqaiyah?
Ruqaiyah 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 2003. Its best rank was #11,156 in 2003.
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 | #16,802 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #17,159 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #15,221 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #17,670 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #15,579 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #16,162 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #19,020 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #14,825 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #14,201 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #11,156 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #14,949 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #15,609 | 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 Ruqaiyah 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.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Ruqaiyah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ruqaiyah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.