Rory
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Rory
This spirited Gaelic classic, which became popular in Ireland via the illustrious twelfth century king Rory O'Connor, makes a highly energetic choice, now used for either sex. Rory's gender split is still trending boyward; it's one of the coolest boys' names starting with R.
Rory for boys#199 US
In England and Wales, however, the name is virtually never given to girls. It's seen as thoroughly male (and non-female) as Roger or Richard.
Rory first came to attention in the US in the person of mid-century pin-up boy Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy). The name entered the popularity list in 1947, peaking at Number 280 in 1959.
Young Irish U.S. Open champ Rory Mcllroy makes a worthy namesake. Bill and Melinda Gates chose Rory as the name of their only son.
Rory is a popular choice all throughout the UK. Skip baffling Gaelic spellings like Ruari and Ruaidhri and stick with the more straightforward Rory.
Rory for girls#230 US
Rory is a buoyant, spirited name for a redhead with Celtic roots. The name Rory is getting more popular overall, but for the past few years has been trending decidedly toward the boys' side -- however, it's been rising to new heights for girls in recent years.
It's worth noting, however, that while Rory is used a third of the time for girls in the US, in Britain it's never used as a girls' name. In London or Liverpool, naming your daughter Rory is like naming her....Roger.
Rory (or Rori) might also be a nickname for Aurora. In the TV series Gilmore Girls, Rory was the nickname of Lorelai Leigh, the daughter character played by Alexis Biedel whose mother, played by Lauren Graham, was also named (and called) Lorelai.
Robert Kennedy's youngest daughter, born after his assassination and now a respected documentary filmmaker, is named Rory. Actress Melora Hardin named her daughter Rory Melora.
Pronounced ROR-ee.
As of October 2026, Rory ranked #199 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #70.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #417 | 748 | #839 | 330 |
| 2015 | #379 | 853 | #683 | 418 |
| 2016 | #386 | 828 | #637 | 470 |
| 2017 | #379 | 862 | #566 | 534 |
| 2018 | #368 | 884 | #580 | 530 |
| 2019 | #358 | 924 | #460 | 676 |
| 2020 | #330 | 996 | #458 | 675 |
| 2021 | #295 | 1,135 | #399 | 791 |
| 2022 | #280 | 1,228 | #335 | 959 |
| 2023 | #242 | 1,446 | #305 | 1,006 |
| 2024 | #226 | 1,594 | #286 | 1,102 |
| 2025 | #199 | 1,768 | #230 | 1,332 |
World rankings
Rory for boys
Rory for girls
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Rory on lists
Famous Rorys
- Rory McIlroyBoy
Northern Irish golfer
- Rory Storm (born Alan Caldwell)Boy
English singer of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes
- Rory James O'MalleyBoy
American actor
- Rory CochraneBoy
American actor
- Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown)Boy
American actor
- Rory Hugh CulkinBoy
American actor; brother of Macaulay and Kieran Culkin
- Rory Brian FitzpatrickBoy
American hockey player
- Rory MarkasBoy
American sportscaster
- (William) Rory GallagherBoy
Irish blues,rock musician
- Rory KinnearBoy
English actor
- Rory BestBoy
Irish rugby union player
- Rory ByrneBoy
South African car designer
- Rory John DelapBoy
English,Irish footballer
- Rory Jason ReidBoy
American politician; son of former U.S. Speaker of the House Harry Reid
- Rory John Gates (b. 1999)Boy
son of Microsoft's Bill and Melinda Gates
- Rory Dartanyan Blackmore (b. 2012)Boy
son of musicians Richie Blackmore and Candice Night of Blackmore's Night
- Rory McCannBoy
Scottish actor (best known for playing Sandor “The Hound” Clegane on Game of Thrones)
- Rory Zane RossBoy
American actor
- Rory DamesBoy
American soccer coach
- Aurora 'Rory' BlockGirl
American blues guitarist
- Ellen "Rory" FlackGirl
American figure skater
- Rory Elizabeth Katherine KennedyGirl
American filmmaker, daughter of politician Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel
- Rory QuintosGirl
Filipino TV and film director
- Rory Flynn (b. 1947)Girl
writer; daughter of actor Errol Flynn and Nora Eddington
- Rory Lerman Green (b. 1969)Girl
daughter of novelist Jackie Collins
- Rory Eleanor Taylor (b. 1986)Girl
daughter of drummer Roger Taylor of Queen
- Rory Melora Jackson (b. 2001)Girl
daughter of actress Melora Hardin
- Rory Lane Huggar (b. 2017)Girl
daughter of singer RL of R&B group Next
Rory in pop culture
- Rory HawthorneBoy
Gale's brother from "The Hunger Games"
- Rory Pond (ne Williams)Boy
from "Doctor Who"
- Rory FlanaganBoy
character on "Glee"
- Rory HennessyBoy
character from the sitcom "8 Simple Rules..."
- Rory SlipperyBoy
character from "Fortysomething"
- Rory GreenBoy
from movie "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang"
- Rory KeanerBoy
character from "My Babysitter's a Vampire"
- Rory BrownBoy
Character from "Mrs Brown Boys"
- RoryBoy
character from TV's "Little Lunch"
- Rory Regan aka RagmanBoy
character on TV's "Arrow"
- Rory SwannBoy
character from the StarCraft series
- Lorelai "Rory" GilmoreGirl
main character on TV's "Gilmore Girls"
- Rory ThayerGirl
character in the movie "Accepted"
- Aurora "Rory" DeveauxGirl
main character in the "Shades of London" series
- Rory SwensonGirl
character in the book "Finally"
- Rory MercuryGirl
character on the anime "GATE"