Rue

Rue: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “herb name; regret”
Origin: English
Say it: ROO · 1 syllable
Used for: Girls (82% of all uses)

Rue is an English word name from the bitter-scented herb, ultimately from Old French/Latin ruta. It also means 'regret' in English, but as a given name it is usually understood as the plant name.

English names French names Names meaning nature Nature names Short names Modern names

How popular is Rue?

202462.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Rue in 2024205

2024 rank#1,240 girls

Peak year2024

Total US babies since 18801,704

Rue is rising: use over the last five years is 7.3× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Rue

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English
Hazelhazel tree · English
Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English
Lilylily flower · English
Scarlettscarlet, bright red · English

Rue questions

What does the name Rue mean?

Rue means "herb name; regret". It comes from English. Rue is an English word name from the bitter-scented herb, ultimately from Old French/Latin ruta. It also means 'regret' in English, but as a given name it is usually understood as the plant name.

Is Rue a boy or girl name?

Rue is mainly a girl's name in US records (82% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Rue?

205 US babies were named Rue in 2024. Its peak year was 2024.

How do you pronounce Rue?

Rue is usually pronounced ROO.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.