Rory
Girl name · #230 in 2025 · Well-known
Rory ranks #230 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 1,332 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #680, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,351 girls born in 2025 was named Rory.
The 78-year story
Rory first appears in the Social Security records in 1947, when 41 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 1,332 babies and a rank of #230. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Rory per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Rory against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Rory in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Rory is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Rory is most common
Geography matters for names, and Rory is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Rory is most common in MA (1.8 per 1,000), IA (1.8 per 1,000), WI (1.7 per 1,000), MN (1.6 per 1,000), KS (1.6 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Rory is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Rory
Rory belongs to the Aurora family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Aurora family went to about 8,397 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #9, versus #230 for Rory alone.
Names like Rory
Statistically, parents drawn to Rory tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Emory, Ivory, River, Poppy, and Raya.
EmoryIvoryRiverPoppyRayaNavyRomyNoa
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Rory | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,332 | #230 |
| 2024 | 1,105 | #287 |
| 2023 | 1,006 | #305 |
| 2022 | 959 | #335 |
| 2021 | 791 | #399 |
| 2020 | 675 | #458 |
| 2019 | 677 | #459 |
| 2018 | 530 | #580 |
| 2017 | 534 | #564 |
| 2016 | 470 | #637 |
| 2015 | 419 | #680 |
| 2014 | 330 | #838 |
| 2013 | 285 | #899 |
| 2012 | 248 | #1018 |
| 2011 | 288 | #905 |
| 2010 | 245 | #1021 |
| 2009 | 287 | #930 |
| 2008 | 275 | #974 |
| 2007 | 245 | #1069 |
| 2006 | 231 | #1093 |
| 2005 | 198 | #1164 |
| 2004 | 201 | #1135 |
| 2003 | 234 | #984 |
| 2002 | 187 | #1116 |
| 2001 | 142 | #1348 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Rory a popular girl name?
Rory ranked #230 among girls in 2025 with 1,332 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #680.
When was the name Rory most popular?
Rory peaked in 2025, when 1,332 American girls received the name (ranked #230 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Rory?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,351 newborn American girls was named Rory. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.