Ruhi comes from the Persian and Arabic word ruh, meaning "soul" or "spirit", so the name can be read as "spiritual" or "of the soul". It is used in Hindi, Urdu and Turkish speaking families and has a soft, two-syllable sound that travels well. In the United States Ruhi ranked number 8437 in 2000, peaked at number 1838 in 2020 and stands at number 2115 among girls' names in 2025.