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Rui as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Rui

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The baby name Rui is a Male name , 1121 syllables long and is pronounced {'Portuguese': "/ˈʁuj/ (approx. 'ROO-ee')", 'Japanese': "/ɾu.i/ (approx. 'roo-ee')", 'Mandarin Chinese': "/ʐuei̯˥˩/ (Ruì; approx. 'rway' with falling tone)"}.

Rui is Chinese, Galician, Germanic, Japanese, Portuguese in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1121.0
Pronunciation: {'Portuguese': "/ˈʁuj/ (approx. 'ROO-ee')", 'Japanese': "/ɾu.i/ (approx. 'roo-ee')", 'Mandarin Chinese': "/ʐuei̯˥˩/ (Ruì; approx. 'rway' with falling tone)"}

What is the meaning of the name Rui ?

The baby name Rui is a Male name , 1121 syllables long and is pronounced {'Portuguese': "/ˈʁuj/ (approx. 'ROO-ee')", 'Japanese': "/ɾu.i/ (approx. 'roo-ee')", 'Mandarin Chinese': "/ʐuei̯˥˩/ (Ruì; approx. 'rway' with falling tone)"}.

Rui is Chinese, Galician, Germanic, Japanese, Portuguese in Origin.

Rui has several independent roots. In Portuguese and Galician, Rui is the usual medieval short form of Rodrigo, from Germanic elements meaning “fame” (hrod) and “ruler” (ric). The variant Ruy appears in older texts and Spanish chronicles - see Ruy Díaz de Vivar (El Cid). It remains common in Portugal and parts of the Lusophone world. Related Iberian variants include Ruy and Galician Roi.

In Chinese given names, Ruì (瑞, 睿, 锐, 芮) conveys senses like “auspicious,” “wise,” or “sharp,” used for all genders; Pinyin spells it Rui. In Japanese, Rui (瑠衣, 類, 塁) is unisex, with meaning set by kanji - from “lapis + garment” to “category” or “fort/base.” The name gained visibility in late 20th‑century pop culture. Across traditions, Rui spans a European “famous ruler” lineage and East Asian virtue or imagery-based meanings.

Rui has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Rui

Cao Rui Royal · Born 205 · Cao Wei Cao Rui was most famous for being the second emperor of Cao Wei during China’s Three Kingdoms period. He ruled from 226 to 239, and his family background has long been disputed because his mother, Lady Zhen, had first been married to Yuan Xi before later marrying Cao Pi, Wei’s first ruler.

Rui – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2019 #1 764
MU Boys 0 #5 6,162 8,477
PT Boys 0 #6 25,309 7,951
MU 0 #13 420 3,613
PT 0 #13 1,669 4,161
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
LU Boys 0 #32 406 4,970
NA 0 #32 2 2,537
AO Boys 0 #37 491 5,568
AO 0 #37 40 2,729
GE 0 #44 1 997
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
LU 0 #50 17 2,830
CN 0 #64 22 3,857
IN 0 #71 1 2,963
JP 0 #74 4 4,057
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
TW 0 #101 3 4,523
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
Switzerland Boys 2024 #134 4 1,769
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
CN Boys 0 #153 200 9,639
MO Boys 0 #167 57 5,842
HU Boys 0 #172 3 3,954
Sweden Boys 2020 #176 2 1,548
MT Boys 0 #177 3 4,064
AE 0 #184 4 10,220
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
CN Girls 0 #206 164 8,829
JP Girls 0 #208 38 6,592
AO Girls 0 #215 3 4,575
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
HU Girls 0 #224 2 3,308
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
AL Girls 0 #227 1 4,141
TW Boys 0 #229 13 7,111
SG 0 #230 40 11,010
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
JP Boys 0 #233 65 7,909
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
NA Boys 0 #249 5 6,830
MO Girls 0 #257 7 7,056
TW Girls 0 #267 10 8,139
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
Canada Boys 2024 #296 11 2,588
CZ Boys 0 #302 4 6,530
Canada Girls 2014 #303 6 2,797
MY 0 #305 26 12,352
SA 0 #310 3 10,560
BR 0 #315 31 5,969
BR Boys 0 #324 719 12,213
DK Boys 0 #328 5 7,401
DK Girls 0 #328 2 7,429
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
MU Girls 0 #336 16 8,539
PL Boys 0 #337 4 6,459
QA Girls 0 #338 6 15,378
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
HK 0 #351 7 8,483
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
PT Girls 0 #361 92 7,952
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
NL 0 #371 21 2,481
SG Girls 0 #371 223 18,916
France Boys 2020 #386 6 2,846
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
YE 0 #397 2 8,639
PH Boys 0 #401 8 11,440
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
Germany 0 #423 15 2,542
OM Girls 0 #424 1 15,987
Austria Boys 0 #425 18 2,180
ZA 0 #427 21 14,421
PH Girls 0 #429 1 13,098
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
Spain 0 #439 14 2,326
MX 0 #443 3 8,339
SD Boys 0 #465 2 10,523
PA Boys 0 #471 11 9,305
HK Boys 0 #475 53 12,905
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
GT Boys 0 #493 7 7,625
RU Boys 0 #494 12 12,621
SG Boys 0 #506 195 17,960
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
RU Girls 0 #520 4 11,913
HK Girls 0 #537 79 16,104
AE Girls 0 #541 13 20,968
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
PS Boys 0 #558 4 10,655
KW Girls 0 #559 3 19,177
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
CR Girls 0 #570 4 11,342
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
BH 0 #581 7 17,937
BO Boys 0 #583 10 9,244
IL Boys 0 #621 5 10,983
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
Finland Boys 2026 #670 13 3,552
LB 0 #689 2 13,263
CL Boys 0 #693 8 13,390
QA Boys 0 #697 11 18,093
Spain Boys 0 #698 238 5,610
Germany Boys 0 #756 197 5,697
KW Boys 0 #759 11 18,755
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
NL Boys 0 #784 168 5,873
Germany Girls 0 #828 11 4,949
United States Boys 2024 #831 62 7,044
MY Girls 0 #844 151 24,821
PE Boys 0 #856 23 14,506
TN 0 #858 8 13,765
EG Boys 0 #877 10 15,035
United States Girls 2024 #908 9 8,487
OM Boys 0 #911 8 17,948
CL Girls 0 #912 4 14,098
ZA Boys 0 #929 252 25,619
NL Girls 0 #930 26 5,933
Spain Girls 0 #961 23 5,561
CO Boys 0 #973 9 15,656
MX Boys 0 #973 10 16,355
BR Girls 0 #987 6 12,708
MY Boys 0 #1,000 112 25,439
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
SA Girls 0 #1,007 8 25,931
EG Girls 0 #1,008 2 14,742
PE Girls 0 #1,009 2 14,861
IN Boys 0 #1,038 2 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,067 26 22,615
MA 0 #1,115 14 20,986
DZ 0 #1,154 23 20,130
ZA Girls 0 #1,229 8 25,928
TR 0 #1,247 8 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,271 201 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,353 94 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,587 28 28,008

Rui is popular in 72 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
Switzerland
United States
Scotland, United Kingdom

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Rui

Rui is predominantly a boy's name.
Rui is a 1121 syllable name, pronounced {'Portuguese': "/ˈʁuj/ (approx. 'ROO-ee')", 'Japanese': "/ɾu.i/ (approx. 'roo-ee')", 'Mandarin Chinese': "/ʐuei̯˥˩/ (Ruì; approx. 'rway' with falling tone)"}.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Ruy (older Portuguese spelling), Short form of Rodrigo, Different kanji spellings in Japanese, Various Chinese characters used as Rui (e.g., 瑞 and 芮).
Yes, very popular — Rui ranked #1 in Ireland in 2019, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Rui ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2019).
Rui's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #408 in 2010 to #386 in 2020 in France.
Yes — 1 notable people named Rui are in our database, including Cao Rui (Royal).