Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2024

Rui

Meaning A male given name from Japanese Gender Unisex · 9% girls Rank 2025 #2,672 Trend ↑ Rising 136%

A male given name from Japanese.

Rank 2025
#2,672
among boys · ↓365 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
59
named Rui · -17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 34,859
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
71 babies
All-time total
972
#5,537 all-time among boys
First recorded
1967
in Social Security records

Rui popularity over time

972 babies have been named Rui since 1967, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – 5 5 1 – #4,441
1970s – 146 146 15 +2820% #2,105
1980s – 105 105 11 -28% #2,889
1990s – 68 68 7 -35% #5,212
2000s 10 123 133 13 +96% #4,239
2010s 21 176 197 20 +48% #3,873
2020s (to 2025) 54 264 318 53 +169% #2,307

Where Rui is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 57 0.03 outside top 500
2027 64 0.04 outside top 500
2028 72 0.04 outside top 500
2029 79 0.05 outside top 500
2030 85 0.05 outside top 500

The story of Rui

Rui is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,672 in 2025 with 49 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1967, 972 American babies have been named Rui, about 91% boys and 9% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2024, when 71 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Rui stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rui?

The median living Rui is about 14 years old; half are between 4 and 36. An estimated 900 people named Rui are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Rui year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 10 #9,981 49 #2,672
2024 9 #10,943 62 #2,307
2023 6 #14,859 47 #2,764
2022 12 #8,955 42 #2,988
2021 10 #10,178 34 #3,411
2020 7 #13,217 30 #3,637
2019 11 #9,629 21 #4,774
2018 – – 18 #5,271
2017 – – 13 #6,600
2016 5 #18,351 18 #5,282
2015 – – 19 #5,020
2014 – – 19 #5,025
2013 5 #18,772 18 #5,131
2012 – – 10 #8,026
2011 – – 27 #3,873
2010 – – 13 #6,632
2009 5 #19,640 9 #8,860
2008 – – 24 #4,239
2007 – – 19 #4,948
2006 5 #19,455 18 #5,028
2005 – – 9 #8,168
2004 – – 7 #9,740
2003 – – 12 #6,181
2002 – – 10 #6,952
2001 – – 8 #8,162
2000 – – 7 #8,951
1995 – – 7 #7,650
1990 – – 9 #5,728
1985 – – 7 #5,653
1980 – – 15 #3,072
1975 – – 21 #2,190
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Rui

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Rui Hachimura Rui Hachimura Japanese basketball player (born 1998) Contemporary
  2. 2 Rui Costa Rui Costa Portuguese footballer (born 1972) Contemporary
  3. 3 Rui Vitória Rui Vitória Portuguese football manager (born 1970) Contemporary
  4. 4 Rui Barros Rui Barros Portuguese footballer and manager b. 1965 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Rui Fonte Rui Fonte Portuguese footballer b. 1990 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Rui Jordão Rui Jordão Portuguese footballer (1952–2019) Contemporary
  7. 7 Rui Maria de Araújo Rui Maria de Araújo Prime minister of East Timor b. 1964 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Rui Machado Rui Machado Portuguese tennis player (born 1984) Contemporary
  9. 9 Rui Pedro Rui Pedro Portuguese footballer b. 1988 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Rui Silva Rui Silva Portuguese middle-distance runner (born 1977) Contemporary
  11. 11 Rui Komatsu Japanese footballer b. 1983 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Rui Tokisaki Japanese footballer b. 1982 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Rui, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Rui?

The median living Rui is about 14 years old. Half of all living Ruis are between 4 and 36 years old.

How many people named Rui are alive today?

An estimated 900 people named Rui are alive in the United States, based on 972 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rui mean?

A male given name from Japanese.

How popular is the name Rui in 2025?

Rui ranked #2,672 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 49 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rui?

972 babies have been named Rui in the United States since 1967, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rui most popular?

Rui peaked in 2024, when 71 newborns received the name.

Is Rui a boy or girl name?

Rui is used for both: about 9% of babies named Rui have been girls and 91% boys.

Is the name Rui rising or falling?

Rui is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rui become more popular?

Rui is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 85 boys named Rui in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rui?

Well-known people named Rui include Rui Hachimura (basketball player), Rui Costa (soccer player), Rui Vitória (soccer player).

Names like Rui

Names that sound and feel close to Rui: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Rui with similar names → More names starting with R →