Latin ruber, "red" — red gemstone. A Victorian jewel name; the ruby was thought to protect its wearer from harm.
Ruby ranks 64th among American girls in 2025, with 3,569 born that year. Its best year was 1924, when 8,472 babies were given the name, ranking 26th. The typical living American called Ruby is about 44 years old today. It is relatively most common in Vermont, where it accounts for 0.59% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.