Origin: |
Rory is the Anglicised form of the Old Gaelic name Ruaidrí, derived from ruad "red" and ri "king." The modern Gaelic spellings are Ruaidhrí and Ruairí, though many variants are used in both Scotland and Ireland today (see variants below). |
Usage: |
Ruaidrí was a favourite name in medieval Ireland, and well used in Scotland. It was particularly popular for the O'Connors (Ó Conchobhair) of Connacht and was born by at least four Kings of Connacht. The most famous of these was Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair "Rory O'Connor" (c. 1116–1198), the last High King of Ireland before the Norman invasion of Ireland. The O'Connors anglicised Ruaidrí as Roderic (Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair is often called Roderic O'Connor) but other Irish clans favoured Roger as an anglicised form. Thanks to heavy anglicisation, the name almost died out in Ireland by the 18th century. It did, however, manage to survive in small numbers in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands before it started to make its revival in Ireland in the 19th century. Data from the 1881 census shows that, at that time, Rory was most common in the Scottish highlands, particularly in Inverness and Ross & Cromarty, but extremely rare elsewhere. The name was rare in England and Wales until it began to pick up at the beginning of the 20th century. Curiously, this was the time when the name saw a dip in use in Scotland, seeing a revival again in the 1950s when it matched its previous peak in the 1860s.Statutory birth registrations per decade in Scotland and England & Wales:
In Scotland, Rory entered the top 100 in 1984 at #98 (44 births) and has been steadily rising ever since. In England and Wales, Rory first entered the top 100 in 1996 at #93 It declined after that point, plateauing around the #130 mark for several years until it began to rise again in 2011, reaching the #99 in 2012. Some of the renewed success in 2011 is most likely thanks to the character Rory Williams in Doctor Who, portrayed by Arthur Darvill (2010-2012). In 2015, Rory ranked #23 (233 births) in Scotland and #74 (912 births) in England and Wales. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Ruaidrí mac Fáeláin (d. 785), King of Leinster. Contemporary: * Rory Calhoun (1922–1999), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Rory Williams, companion of Doctor Who 2010-2012. |
Variants: |
Ruaridh, Ruairidh, Ruairi, Ruaraidh, Ruari, Ruaidri, Ruariadh, Ruary, Ruiridh, Ruraidh, Ruraigh, Rury, Rori, |
Pronunciation: |
ROR-ree [key] |
Possible longer forms: |
Roderick, Broderick, Rodrigo |
Sibling Names: |
Lucy Isla Emily Isla Anna Erin |
Name Lists: |
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Thanks to LB for requesting this post.