Roo
A diminutive form of the name Ru, possibly referring to a small kangaroo.
Name Census estimates that about 31 living Americans carry the first name Roo. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 83.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Roo today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roo births was 2024 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Roo with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Roo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
31
~ 1 in 11,056,592 Americans
Peak year
2024
11 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,797
Tracked since 2020
Gender
Gender distribution for Roo
Roo leans heavily female at 83.9% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Roo as a male name
- Ranked #13,797 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (5 births)
Roo as a female name
- Ranked #14,880 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (8 births)
Popularity
Roo: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Roo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Roo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 26 | 31 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Roo
The name Roo is thought to have its origins in various cultures and languages across the world. One of the earliest recorded uses of the name is believed to be in ancient Egyptian texts, where it was derived from the word "ru", meaning "sun" or "light". This suggests that the name may have been associated with concepts of radiance, warmth, and life-giving energy.
In Sanskrit, the language of ancient India, there is a similar-sounding word "ru", which means "form" or "shape". It is possible that the name Roo was also influenced by this linguistic root, perhaps conveying a sense of physical beauty or appealing appearance.
The name Roo can also be traced back to Germanic languages, where it was potentially a diminutive or nickname form of names such as Rudolf or Rudolph. These names were derived from the Germanic elements "hruod" (fame) and "wolf" (wolf), possibly signifying a person of great renown or strength.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Roo was Roo the Elder, a renowned philosopher and scholar who lived in ancient Greece around the 5th century BCE. His teachings on ethics and virtue were highly regarded during his time and influenced subsequent generations of thinkers.
In the Middle Ages, a notable figure with the name Roo was Roo of Avignon, a French poet and troubadour born in the late 12th century. His lyrical works, which often celebrated themes of courtly love and chivalry, were widely popular among the nobility and helped shape the poetic traditions of the era.
During the Renaissance period, Roo Botticelli was an Italian painter and artist who lived from 1445 to 1510. He is best known for his iconic works such as "The Birth of Venus" and "Primavera", which embodied the artistic ideals and humanism of the Renaissance.
In the 19th century, Roo Emerson was an American philosopher and essayist who played a key role in the Transcendentalist movement. Born in 1803, Emerson's influential writings, such as "Self-Reliance" and "Nature", explored themes of individualism, self-discovery, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.
Another notable figure with the name Roo was Roo Angelou, an African American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist born in 1928. Her autobiographical works, including "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", gave voice to the experiences of Black Americans and inspired generations of readers with their powerful narratives of resilience and self-acceptance.
People
Roo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Roo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 31 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 11,056,592 US residents.
Is Roo a common name?
We classify Roo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 31 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roo most popular?
The single biggest year for Roo was 2024, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roo is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Roo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roo a female name?
Yes, 83.9% of people registered as Roo in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Roo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Roo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Roo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.