Ruby’s Notebook: Personalized Journal for Ruby
Ruby's Notebook is a lined journal with one name on the cover, hers. The name sits in flowing script above a soft pink watercolor apple blossom design.
- 160 lined pages
- 6" x 9" paperback
- Watercolor apple blossom cover with "Ruby's Notebook" on the front
- Printed and shipped by Amazon
The meaning of Ruby
Ruby is simply the name of the red gemstone. Behind the Name traces the word to Medieval Latin rubinus and ultimately to Latin rubeus, “red”, and notes that the ruby is the traditional birthstone of July. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century. Wikipedia says it first came into wide use for girls in the late Victorian era, alongside other jewel names, and that it was once given to boys too: Ruby ranked in the US top 1,000 for boys between 1900 and 1940.
Nicknames for Ruby
Ruby is already short and bright, so it rarely needs trimming. Behind the Name lists the English variant Rubye, Rubina in Italian and Portuguese, Rubi in Slovene and Rubena in Esperanto. Wikipedia adds that in its masculine use Ruby is occasionally a nickname for Reuben, which gives the name an unexpected biblical side.
Famous Rubys
Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to attend the formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, on November 14, 1960, and she is the subject of Norman Rockwell’s painting The Problem We All Live With. Actress Ruby Dee, born Ruby Ann Wallace, won Emmy and Grammy Awards and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004. And Australian actress Ruby Rose hosted MTV Australia before playing Batwoman.
How popular is Ruby?
Ruby is a true comeback name. US Social Security data has it climbing from 108th in the 1880s to 24th in the 1910s, with its biggest decade in the 1920s, when nearly 77,000 American girls were named Ruby. It slid to 170th by the 1950s and then dropped out of the top 200, before returning at 153rd in the 2000s and 87th in the 2010s. So there are Rubys who are great-grandmothers and Rubys still in grade school.
Fun facts about the name Ruby
Baby-name writers have strong opinions about Ruby. Wikipedia quotes Laura Wattenberg’s The Baby Name Wizard (2005), which said Ruby has the image of a woman “kicking up her heels” at a music hall, while the authors of Baby Name Bible called it “vibrant” with a “sassy and sultry” image.
Ruby gift ideas
- For a July birthday. The ruby is July’s traditional birthstone, so the timing is perfect.
- For a young reader. A journal for big questions, in honor of Ruby Bridges’ courage.
- For Christmas. A red-jewel name makes a cheerful stocking filler.
- For a great-grandmother and a granddaughter. Ruby spans the 1920s and the 2010s, so it can be a family gift.
Who it’s for and ways to use it
This is a notebook for every kind of Ruby: the student, the list-maker, the diary keeper, the busy mom. Its 160 lined pages and 6" x 9" format suit daily journaling, study, meal plans, goals or gratitude notes. Plain lines mean no rules about how to use it. Her name on the front makes it easy to spot on a crowded desk.
Why a name on the cover matters
Notebooks tend to multiply on desks and in drawers. One with Ruby’s name on the front is instantly hers: easy to spot, harder to “borrow”, and more personal than a plain cover. For children especially, seeing their own name on something makes it special and encourages them to actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Ruby’s Notebook? The notebook measures 6 x 9 inches (roughly 15 x 23 cm) and has 160 lined pages.
Where do I buy it? Use the buttons on this page to find it on Amazon in the US, Australia and the UK. Amazon handles printing, shipping and returns.
Do you have other names? Yes. We publish hundreds of girls’ name notebooks with the same cover design. See our personalized name notebooks page or browse all name notebooks.
View Ruby's Notebook on Amazon
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