The name of the gemstone comes from the Latin rubinus, meaning red.

Ruby is a currently well-used name for girls in English-speaking countries.

The name was also once rarely given to boys in the United States and was ranked in the top 1,000 names given to boys born in that country between 1900 and 1940.

In its masculine form, it is occasionally used as a nickname for the name Reuben.

[3] Authors Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz noted in their 2007 book Baby Name Bible that Ruby is a "vibrant" name with a "sassy and sultry" image,[4] while Laura Wattenberg wrote in her 2005 book The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name For Your Baby that Ruby has the image of a woman "kicking up her heels" at a music hall.