Boy Cat Names That Start With R

  1. Revel
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "rejoice"
    • Description:

      A joyous (if a little rowdy) word name that's still relatively undiscovered by parents, being given to about 10 babies of each sex per year. Glee actor Matthew Morrison named his son Revel in 2017.
  2. Rock
    • Origin:

      Word name or diminutive of Rocco
    • Meaning:

      "rock or rest"
    • Description:

      Rock definitely has a macho image, if a somewhat caricatured one, ala The Rock. But with the rise of word names and also of tough guy names, Rock feels more plausible than it did a generation ago.
  3. Randolph
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "shield-wolf"
    • Description:

      Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which, strangely enough, was itself a Top 50 name in the fifties and sixties).
  4. Richie
    • Origin:

      Short form of Richard
    • Description:

      Richie was once a popular enough nickname for Richard that it made the Top 1000 all by itself. It's seriously out of style now -- though still a better choice than Dick or even Ricky.
  5. Runo
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "poem"
    • Description:

      The pronunciation is not intuitive to English speakers, who aren't used to Os said as As.
  6. Ramiro
    • Origin:

      Portuguese
    • Meaning:

      "great judge"
    • Description:

      Familiar as a Latin surname but has potential as a first.
  7. Roe
    • Origin:

      English, Scottish, Irish, Norwegian, or Korean surname
    • Meaning:

      "roe deer; wise protector; son of Ruadh; red; clearing; ability"
    • Description:

      In the US, the multicultural surname Roe is primarily associated with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, which granted the federal right to abortion, though elsewhere it might be associated with fish eggs or a small breed of reddish deer.
  8. Riker
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "rich; powerful"
    • Description:

      Riker gets relatively little use as a variation of Ryker, likely because of the connection to Riker's Island, the New York City prison. It was named after NYC magistrate Richard Riker, whose ancestor Abraham Rycken first purchased the island.
  9. Rogan
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "redhead"
    • Description:

      Rogan makes a great, roguish alternative for the more popular Logan, Ronan and Rowan.
  10. Rajah
    • Origin:

      Arabic and Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "hope; ruler"
    • Description:

      Indian princely title, more exciting than Prince or Duke, that is also a widely-used name for both genders. In the US, the names Rajah and Raja are uncommon: Ten baby boys were named Rajah last year and 18 were given the Raja spelling.
  11. Ruger
    • Origin:

      German surname
    • Meaning:

      "renowned spear"
    • Description:

      More popular among German Shepherds than baby boys.
  12. Ralphie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Ralph
    • Meaning:

      "wolf-counsel"
    • Description:

      Ralphie is one of those short forms that have been out of style for so long it just might have a chance of coming back in, if you can get past seeing it as a desperate attempt to cute-ify a stodgy old man's name.
  13. Revan
    • Origin:

      Invented name
    • Description:

      Revan is a name from the Star Wars universe that first appeared in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He starts out on the light side of the Force, then became a Sith Lord on the dark side before reversing trend and working for the light side once more. Revan first appeared on the baby name charts in 2004, the year following the video game release.
  14. Rumo
    • Origin:

      Cornish
    • Meaning:

      "red"
    • Description:

      Ancient martyr name that sounds totally modern, but perhaps too close to rumor.
  15. Rollie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Roland, German
    • Meaning:

      "famous throughout the land"
    • Description:

      As its parent name Roland comes back into style (yep, it’s happening), could there be an uptick in baby Rollies? Certainly as a pet form.
  16. Ramone
    • Origin:

      Musical name
    • Description:

      Ramon is a common Latin male name, but Ramone would clearly be in tribute to the early punk rock group--each of whose members took on the last name Ramone.
  17. Rabi
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "gentle wind"
    • Description:

      Could cause pronunciation problems.
  18. Renny
    • Origin:

      Anglicized variation of Irish Raithnait
    • Meaning:

      "little prosperous one"
    • Description:

      Used primarily for girls in Ireland, but sounds unisex to us.
  19. Rocket
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Starbaby name that might prove too supercharged for real life, but if like director Robert Rodriguez you're interested only in boys' names starting with R, you may need to add Rocket (and Rebel and Racer) to your list.
  20. Romaric
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "famously strong"
    • Description:

      Romaric was derived from the German elements hrôm, meaning "fame," and rîcja, "strong." It's the name of an obscure Frankish saint who left his life as a courtier to become a monk.