Rory

Rory - A very unique female name

Rory appeared on the charts for the first time in 1947 on position #1267. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Rory and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Rory? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Rory. The baby girl name Rory was given to 1,316 baby girls in 2025, ranking #229 on the national girl baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 990 baby girls were given this name - making this a very unique female name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Rory peaked in popularity 1 years ago in 2025 on position 229.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Rory, 1-5?

Rory is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Rory is currently topping the baby name charts in Montana at position #118 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #371.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Rory is where you live.

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Rory origin and meaning

Irish, from Ruairí

"Red king" — from ruadh, "red," and rí, "king"

Rory is the anglicized form of Ruairí, the name of Ireland's last high king, and a firmly male name in Ireland. American girls' use is a separate, recent story — carried by Gilmore Girls' Rory — rising from #456 in 2020 to its peak in 2025.

Attested etymology

Rory is a 4 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Rory, pop culture references for the name Rory and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Rory

We've found the following names that sound similar to Rory, sorted by popularity.

Rae / Rhea / Raya / Riya / Ria / Ray / Reya / Rori / Rio / Ruhi /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Rory

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Rory a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique female name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Rory?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

ROR-ee · /ˈrɔːri/

Around the world

• Ruairí (Irish) — The Irish-language form of the name
• Ruairidh (Scottish Gaelic) — The Scottish Gaelic cognate form

Spellings and nicknames

• Rori — A spelling variant with an i
• Rorie — A spelling variant with -ie

Nicknames: Ro

Famous bearers

• Rory Kennedy — Documentary filmmaker, youngest child of Robert F. Kennedy (b. 1968) Contemporary
• Rory Gilmore — Bookish heroine of Gilmore Girls; her full name is Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, and she is known throughout the series as Rory (Fictional, 2000) Fictional

Style

International

Why parents choose it

Parents pick Rory for girls as a spirited, bookish, gender-crossing name — Irish steel under a friendly two syllables.

Worth knowing

• In Ireland Rory is a boys' name, and golfer Rory McIlroy keeps the male association strong worldwide.
• Some hear it as a nickname (for Aurora or Lorelai) and will ask what it is short for.