🔥Rue

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Botanical names or word name

"herb; regret"

Rue Origin and Meaning

The name Rue is a girl's name of English, Greek origin meaning "herb; regret".

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.

Rue Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 237 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Rue

• 237 Nameberry 2025
• 255 Unique 2023
• 614 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Rue

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Rue.

• Briar
• Lark
• Dove
• Salem
• Radelle
• Meadow
• Lux
• August
• Tallulah
• Opal
• Juno
• Jude
• Lumi
• Suki
• Fern
• Fae
• Cleo
• Story
• Winter
• Romy

Famous People Named Rue

• Scout LaRue Willis daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis
• Sara Rue (born Sara Schlackman) American actress
• Eddi Rue "Rue" McClanahan, American actress

The name Rue in Pop Culture

• Rue character in "The Hunger Games" series
• Rue Kuroha (a.k.a. Princess Kraehe) a ballerina in the anime "Princess Tutu".
• Rue Bennett main character on TV's "Euphoria"
• Rue French for "street"