Rui is a distinctive choice, ranked #4844 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Rui in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#4844
About the Name Rui
Rui has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 945 places in five years. It was most popular in 2004 at #841 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1997.
Rui is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Rui
Unlikely. With around 4 UK babies named Rui per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Rui in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Rui has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 945 places in the last five years. Its peak was #841 in 2004. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Rui is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Rui include: Rui Cardoso (footballer, born 1994) — Rui Filipe da Costa Cardoso is a Portuguese footballer who plays for A.; Rui Borges — Rui Manuel Gomes Borges is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Primeira Liga club Sporting CP.; Mário Rui — Mário Rui Silva Duarte, known as Mário Rui, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back..
Rui does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Ruis in the wild.
4
UK babies named Rui (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↓ 945 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Rui
Likely around 1 other Rui in the class
UK Popularity (1997–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Rui
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Rui Manuel Gomes Borges is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Primeira Liga club Sporting CP. He played as a winger for several clubs in Portugal, before starting a managerial career in 2017.
Mário Rui Silva Duarte, known as Mário Rui, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back. Developed at Benfica, he spent most of his career in Italy, making 248 appearances in Serie A for Empoli, Roma and Napoli and winning the 2022–23 Serie A and the 2019–20 Coppa Italia with the last of those clubs.
Rui Hachimura (Japanese: 八村 塁, Hepburn: Hachimura Rui; Japanese: [hatɕiꜜmɯɾa ɾɯꜜi], born February 8, 1998) is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and has played for the Japan national team.
Hai Rui, courtesy name Ru Xian (汝賢), art name Gang Feng (剛峰), was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Ming dynasty, remembered as a model of honesty and integrity in office.
Rui Tiago Dantas da Silva is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Portugal national team.