Rory
Rory is a well-established choice, ranked #17 in 2025. With 1,760 babies named Rory in 2025, meeting another Rory at school is a real possibility.
Irish — Red king; great king
About the Name Rory
Rory is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 336 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #80 in 2016 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has broken into the UK top 100 on 5 occasions, signalling genuine mainstream interest.
The name carries Irish roots, where it means "Red king; great king". Names with strong etymological stories tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles.
Rory is one of the most popular names in the UK — yet a class of 28 is small enough that your child will very likely be the only Rory on the register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #286, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Rory
- Rory McIlroy — Rory Daniel McIlroy is a Northern Irish professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the European Tour.
- Rory Stewart — Roderick James Nugent "Rory" Stewart is a British academic, broadcaster, writer, and former diplomat and politician.
- Rory McCann — Rory McCann is a Scottish actor, best known for portraying Sandor "The Hound" Clegane on the HBO series Game of Thrones, Michael "Lurch" Armstrong in Edgar Wright's crime-comedy Hot Fuzz, Jurgen the Brutal in the adventure comedy Jumanji: The Next Level and…
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Rory
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Rory
Almost certainly the only Rory in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Rory
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
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Famous People Named Rory
Notable people who share this name, from history to the present day. See full list on Wikipedia