Rue

Rue has gone from Golden Girls actress to Hunger Games heroine to a fresh alternative to beloved middle name Rose. This botanical name is also a coincidental double word name, meaning "regret" in English and "street" in French. Despite these unfortunate secondary meanings, Rue has real potential to be one of the most popular new middle names for girls.

It's use in the popular TV series Euphoria has certainly brought it into the spotlight. Since the character of Rue Bennett was portrayed by Zendaya in 2019, the name has been used four times more often than it once was in the US.

The herbal plant Rue was introduced by the Romans and has been prized for its medicinal properties – the ancients believed it guarded against epilepsy and vertigo and improved the sharpness of vision.

As a name, it has been used as a nickname for Ruth and Ruby, meaning it fits in with vintage nickname options like Bea, Nell, Mae, and Lou, while also matching the style of modern word names such as Wren, Sage, True, and Hart.

Actress Rue McClanahan, who played Blanche in The Golden Girls, was born Eddi-Rue, named for her parents' middle names Edwin and Rheua-Nell. Actress Sara Rue made her surname the middle name of daughter Talulah Rue.

In 2023, Rue was one of the fastest rising names in England and Wales, jumping into the Top 1000 for the first time. In the US, it has also been trending upwards and was given to around 180 girls in a recent year.

Pronounced ROO.

As of October 2026, Rue ranked #1324 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1241 in 2024, Nameberry popularity #293.