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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Ruby?

31 replies

mum1345 · 10/05/2025 20:44

Yay or nay?! Do you know many preschool aged Ruby’s?! I love it, just worry it’s too popular still

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CeciliaMars · 10/05/2025 20:49

Super popular round here!

wehavea2319 · 10/05/2025 20:56

I love it!
I don’t know many pre-school age, seems to be more popular with teens and early 20s.

Yiayoula · 10/05/2025 21:00

It’s popular for a good reason ! Lovely name.

Flidina · 10/05/2025 21:02

My daughter's called Ruby, she's in her thirties now, and there were no other kids called it when she was at school.It seems very popular now , but I still love it.

user1476613140 · 10/05/2025 21:05

I know one that's 7.

DejaMooo · 10/05/2025 21:10

I also love it and am planning to use it when baby no 2 is born this summer. My daughter is in reception and there are no Ruby’s in her class (double entry year), and I don’t know any, so that’s encouraged me a bit 😄 plus it only ranked no 70 in the UK last year.

clocktick · 10/05/2025 21:13

If I’m honest I don’t like it. I just find it really dated and a bit unimaginative. I like Pearl, Opal and Amber for jewel names but I think of Ruby as being a bit of a Gemma or Jade for babies born 2010-present!

Greenglades · 10/05/2025 21:14

Yay!

Bunnyisputbackinthebox · 10/05/2025 21:28

My Ruby is 19. Still love it. As does she..

Reddelilah · 10/05/2025 21:32

It was really overused some years ago and is starting to feel dated.

okydokethen · 10/05/2025 22:02

Love it!

Moreteaandchocolate · 10/05/2025 22:47

Lovely name - there are lots in my 13 year olds year group, but I don’t know of any in my younger children’s schools.

BoleynMemories13 · 11/05/2025 01:47

I really like it. Much better to go for a name you love, rather than worry about how popular it may or may not be, as that's not something you can control. Statistically, Ruby is nowhere near as popular as it was in the 00s, but obviously there's still a chance of it being repeated at school etc. That can happen to any name though.

I work in a primary school and have seen the lists for next year's Reception (not a single Ruby. In fact, we only have a few in the whole school). Out of 80 odd kids next year, there are only 3 repeated names. One is an Arabic name way out of the national top 100 (same pronunciation, different spelling), one is a name which was popular in the 90s/00s but is way down in the top 100 now (although one is double-barrelled with Rose so she may or may not go by the full version, making the two sound slightly different), and one is an old fashioned name which is on the rise but still only in the lower realms of the top 100. It has several nickname options, so there's every possibility the two children may go by slightly different names if their parents do shorten it. We will only have about 8 kids with top 20 names, all of whom will be the only one in the year group. No Olivia, Lily, Ava, Amelia, Isabella, Theo, Freddie, Jack etc, that posters on here will tell people they must avoid as they'll be one of 3 in the class etc. My point is you can never predict these things. The parents of the children with repeated names perhaps won't be expecting it, whereas the ones who chose a top 20 name probably are and will be pleasantly surprised. This picture is repeated in most of our year groups throughout the school. There's only ever a handful of repeated names in each year group these days, and it's definitely not always the names you would expect.

It's much better to just go for what you love, and what will be will be in terms of however many others they meet in the future. People choose from a much wider pool of names these days. Repetition at school is rarer, but when it does happen it can be rather random anyway.

thornbury · 11/05/2025 03:06

I worked in a one form entry school and in one class I had Hollie, Molly, Jasmin, Yasmin, and two Jacks. The class the year before had a Ruby in it, she'd be about 25 now. I really like it, it suits a girl and a woman.

WtafIsThat · 11/05/2025 08:44

It’s just a bit boring because it’s been so popular.

Overhaul54 · 11/05/2025 08:57

Not a fan but I ‘m not into gemstones at all either real or as names. Plus I hate that shade of red.
I only know one in her 20’s. She’s lovely but the less successful sibling of three. I also know a dog called Ruby. It has some issues.
In it’s favour I don’t think its particularly popular atm.

babystarsandmoon · 11/05/2025 09:00

My daughter is Ruby. It suits her perfectly and we have only came across one other.

I did have alot of ‘Oh. I had a dog named Ruby’ comments from strangers who would coo over the pram when she was a baby.

LindorDoubleChoc · 11/05/2025 09:01

I still love it, an excellent name!

LindorDoubleChoc · 11/05/2025 09:03

It's not nearly as over-used as Ella/Ellie, Eva/Ava/Eve, Amelia/Amelie/Emily, Ivy etc.

forthistimeonly · 11/05/2025 09:11

The only one I know is my friends daughter who is now 32. It's a lovely name and she's a real gem!

WinterCarlisle · 11/05/2025 09:16

I know two Rubys and love the name. Would have considered myself.

Incidentally, one of the Rubys was a G/G twin with her sister being Rosa. I always wondered that had they been all girl triplets would the 3rd have been Scarlett……? 😆

HugoYorway · 11/05/2025 10:19

Like Bella, it is popular as a dog's name. If you love it, use it, but is was very popular in the late 00s.
Babies called Ruby in England & Wales since 1996

PrincessHoneysuckle · 11/05/2025 10:31

Boring sorry

viques · 11/05/2025 10:35

It’s a pretty name but I think I would go for one of the less used “gem” names like Pearl or Coral.

Maybe not Beryl though, I think that has a way to go to not raise eyebrows!

HugoYorway · 11/05/2025 10:41

There's a reason why they are less used, they don't sound very nice.

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