Rudi
How to say it: ROO-dee · /ˈrudi/
German short form of Rudolf, 'famous wolf' - used alone across Germany and Netherlands.
Rudi was the 675th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 18 babies of either sex (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1990s, its births are up about 23% in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #607 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #675 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 (both sexes) | 18 |
| Share of births | 1 in 9,158 |
| Peak decade | 1990s |
| Change over 10 years | +23% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #607 |
| In France, 2025 | #1,000 among boys’ names, 0 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Rudi peaked in the 1990s.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Rudi is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Dutch, English, French, German.
In France: #1,000 for boys in 2025.
England and Wales: #377.
Famous people named Rudi
- Rudi Völler (born 1960)German footballer and manager
- Rudi Vata (born 1969)Albanian association football player
- Rudi Dutschke (1940–1979)German student activist
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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