Ruby

Ruby means exactly what you think it means; the red gem, ruby. The word ruby comes from the Latin word rubeus, which means "red," so by association, ruby also means "red." Gem names, such as Ruby, Pearl, and Beryl, were popular during the 19th century, and into the early years of the 20th century, after which point most of them faded in popularity considerably. Ruby fared better than some--remaining in the top 500 names for girls in the U.S. throughout the 1900's. Over the past few years it has been creeping upward slightly in popularity, possibly due to a revival in gem names in general. Ruby hasn't enjoyed the popularity that two other gem names, Amber and Jade, have enoyed, but currently both those names are sliding downward in popularity, while Ruby continues to rise slightly. The name's popularity in the U.S. may be boosted also by the fact that it is currently a very popular name in England, Australia, and Scotland. Ruby has occasionally been used as a given name for boys. These uses are probably not examples of Ruby as a gem name, but rather, Ruby as a surname being used as a given name. In any case, the use of Ruby as a masculine name has been very rare if not non-existent since the 1930's.