Girl Dog Names That Start With R

  1. Roselle
    • Origin:

      Combination of Rose and Elle
    • Description:

      Most contemporary parents would probably opt for the more streamlined Elle.
  2. Ryo
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "fact, reality, understand; distant; defy"
    • Description:

      A simple, importable Japanese name that is used for both males and females and carries a multitude of meanings depending on which character is used to denote it. While most westerners pronounced it rye-oh, its real pronunciation is closer to ree-uh. A similar male name, Ryu, means "dragon."
  3. Roxie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Roxanne
    • Description:

      Audacious offshoot of Roxanne, the wayward heroine of the musical Chicago.
  4. Rira
    • Origin:

      Persian, French, Japanese, Yiddish
    • Meaning:

      "pure, laugh"
    • Description:

      Rira is a truly multicultural name with roots in four different languages. It's most common as a Japanese name, where it can be made up of various kanji combinations with meanings such as "good plum" and "easy pear." In French, it means "laugh."
  5. Romane
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "a Roman"
    • Description:

      The feminine version of the newly-stylish Roman -- and the longer form of the also-newly-stylish Romy -- would make a girls' choice that achieves that near-impossible balance of being both original and fashionable. This variation is far superior to Romaine, which is too lettuce-y.
  6. Ruhi
    • Origin:

      Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "ascending"
    • Description:

      Ruhi is a charming, rapidly rising girl name used in Hindu culture. Its meaning refers to spiritual ascension and is mentioned in sacred Vedic texts including the Mahabharata and Rigveda.
  7. Reed
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "red-haired"
    • Description:

      Sleek, unisex surname rarely heard for girls -- which could be seen as an asset.
  8. Ryuko
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "dragon child"
    • Description:

      Strong Japanese unisex choice. Dragons are a symbol of power in Japan.
  9. Rhapsody
    • Origin:

      French, musical term
    • Description:

      Could be seen as extravagantly ecstatic for a baby name, though feel free to rhapsodize about your little girl, whatever her name.
  10. Rosaura
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "golden rose"
    • Description:

      A combination of Spanish rosa "rose" and aurea "gold". This name was used by Pedro Calderón de la Barca for a character in his play Life Is a Dream (1635), and more recently by Mexican author Laura Esquivel in her 1989 novel Como agua para chocolate.
  11. Raiden
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "thunder and lightning"
    • Description:

      Raiden is a powerful choice for a baby girl. The Japanese god of thunder’s name is traditionally pronounced RYE-den, but most children named Raiden in the US pronounce it to rhyme with familiar choices Aiden, Jayden, and Hayden.
  12. Rhythm
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      A musical name that is undeniably cool and, well, rhythmic. Its biggest challenge may be the spelling. Well, maybe not the biggest challenge. Save this one for a middle name.
  13. Risa
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "laughing"
  14. Rihanna
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "sweet basil"
    • Description:

      Many will associate Rihanna with the Barbados-born singer, known mononymously by her middle name. During her early years of fame, when "Umbrella" was on the radio and "Take a Bow" was playing through the iPod Shuffle, the name shot up the charts in the US, UK, France, and Puerto Rico. Though the name did fall out of the charts as rapidly as it entered and while some parents might feel it is way too tied to the mid-2000s, Rihanna was given to 165 babies in 2023.
  15. Rumble
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "deep, resonant sound"
    • Description:

      Model Lucky Blue Smith welcomed daughter Rumble Honey in 2020, introducing a new name to the pool and putting it among the craziest celebrity baby names of the year. We don't see Rumble inspiring many copycats.
  16. Reid
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "red-haired"
    • Description:

      The Reid spelling is surprisingly more popular than the naturey Reed for both boys and girls, though more than 95% of little Reids are male.
  17. Rome
    • Origin:

      Place name, Latin, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "to flow or hurry; strength"
    • Description:

      The name of this historic European city is more distinct than Paris and London but sounds similar enough to the rising Romy and well-established Ramona and Rosemary that it doesn't feel totally out there. Currently in the US Top 1000 for boys, Rome has been quietly used as a girl name since the 2000s and in 2023, it was given to around 60 girls. While it is therefore nine times more popular as a masculine name, it has plenty of unisex potential.
  18. Rima
    • Origin:

      Arabic; Lithuaniian
    • Meaning:

      "white antelope; to calm down, to quieten"
    • Description:

      Nature girl played by Audrey Hepburn in "Green Mansions," it now has an old-style bohemian feel.
  19. Reinette
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "little queen"
    • Description:

      Reinette was the childhood nickname of Madame La Pompadour, perhaps a cute short form for Regina or Reina but hardly worthy of the full name on the birth certificate today.
  20. Reeve
    • Origin:

      English occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "bailiff"
    • Description:

      Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve is another single-syllable surname waiting to be borrowed by the girls.