Is Rue a boy or girl name?

Rue is mostly a girl’s name. Of the 1,884 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 83.1% were girls and 16.9% were boys. It changed hands in 2012, and has gone mainly to girls since.

Name Legacy

Rue

Recorded 1896–2025 · United States

Rue was most popular in 2024, when 205 American babies were given the name — ranking #2,205 that year. In 2025 it ranked #2,378, with 179 births. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,884 people named Rue.

Rue over time

Births per year. The dot marks Rue’s peak in 2024. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Rue a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Rue is mostly a girl’s name — 83.1% of the 1,884 Americans given it were girls and 16.9% were boys. It changed hands: since 2012 it has gone mainly to girls, having gone mainly to boys before that. In births since 2016 it is 93% girls and 7% boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Rue

Where Rue is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

Explore further

See Rue on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org