Rue
Girl name · #1318 in 2025 · Uniqueness 35/100
Rue ranks #1318 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 169 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #4981, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 10,651 girls born in 2025 was named Rue.
The 129-year story
Rue first appears in the Social Security records in 1896, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2024, with 188 babies and a rank of #1240. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Rue per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Rue against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Rue in class?
Rue scores 35 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Rue is most common
Geography matters for names, and Rue is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Rues were CA (19), UT (12), WA (8), FL (7), GA (7). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Rue
Statistically, parents drawn to Rue tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are True, Jrue, Drue, Rumi, and Romee.
TrueJrueDrueRumiRomeeRenleeDoveRome
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Rue | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 169 | #1318 |
| 2024 | 188 | #1240 |
| 2023 | 184 | #1253 |
| 2022 | 183 | #1292 |
| 2021 | 118 | #1739 |
| 2020 | 70 | #2468 |
| 2019 | 41 | #3665 |
| 2018 | 33 | #4237 |
| 2017 | 44 | #3479 |
| 2016 | 36 | #4083 |
| 2015 | 27 | #4981 |
| 2014 | 32 | #4455 |
| 2013 | 27 | #5013 |
| 2012 | 32 | #4486 |
| 2011 | 13 | #8614 |
| 2010 | 9 | #11246 |
| 1978 | 6 | #8562 |
| 1971 | 5 | #8324 |
| 1962 | 8 | #4865 |
| 1961 | 5 | #6567 |
| 1958 | 11 | #3747 |
| 1957 | 5 | #6086 |
| 1956 | 10 | #3910 |
| 1955 | 6 | #5208 |
| 1954 | 12 | #3325 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Rue a popular girl name?
Rue ranked #1318 among girls in 2025 with 169 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4981.
When was the name Rue most popular?
Rue peaked in 2024, when 188 American girls received the name (ranked #1240 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Rue?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 10,651 newborn American girls was named Rue. It scores 35/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.