Dog Names That Start With R
- Ripley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"strip of clearing in the woods"Description:
The "Believe It or Not" jokes will get old fast, but this surname feels fun and on-trend for both girls and boys.
- Romina
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"from the land of the Christians"Description:
This pretty name found in Spanish-speaking countries shares the diminutive of Romy—also spelled Romi—with Rosemary. It joined the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.
- Rhodri
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"wheel, circle"Description:
Rhodri, the name of an important ninth century Welsh king known as Rhodri the Great, a renowned warrior who was the ancestor of many of the later dynasties of Wales, was revived in modern Wales. Has a nice Rory-like feel.
- Rhydian
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"unknown"Description:
Variation on Rhidian, a Welsh saint's name.
- Rhoda
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"rose"Description:
To those who remember, Rhoda is still reminiscent of the brassy Bronx 1970s sitcom Rhoda Morgenstern. But Rhoda has a much longer history--it is a name that can be found in the New Testament as a servant girl in the house of Mary, mother of John. Later, Rhoda appeared in the novel Vanity Fair and the Shaw play Man and Superman.
- Revel
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"rejoice"Description:
Revel is a joyous word name that may appeal to parents wanting a non-traditional Biblical choice or simply a name that expresses how they feel.
- Raoul
Origin:
French variation of RalphMeaning:
"wolf-counsel"Description:
Raoul, with its unique three-vowel middle, rolls off the tongue in an appealing way. Raoul is one of the French names that sounds infinitely more romantic and attractive than the somewhat harsh English version Ralph.
- Ruri
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"lapis lazuli"Description:
Naming babies after precious gems as a protection against evil spirits is an ancient Japanese tradition.
- Rooney
Origin:
English or Gaelic surnameMeaning:
"descendent of the champion"Description:
Rooney is one of many bouncy Irish surnames that could make an agreeable first, once tied to Mickey Rooney (who was actually born Joseph Yule) in his young and spunky Andy Hardy period.
- Rune
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"secret"Description:
Runes are symbols in ancient Germanic alphabets. They are often viewed as mysterious and therefore as a name, Rune imparts a feeling of folkloric mystery. As intriguing as that might be, the homonym ruin creates a lot of teasing potential.
- Ruadhan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"red-haired"Description:
Ruadhan (sometimes spelt with a fada: Ruadhán) is a fashionable name in its native Ireland. Borne one of the Twelve Irish Apostles, it originated as a diminutive of Ruadh, meaning "red-haired". It has sometimes been Anglicized as Rowan.
- Rocio
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"dewdrops"Description:
This name, which refers to Mary as the Virgin of the Dew, is all but unknown in the Anglo community, but popular enough in Hispanic families to put it in the U. S. Top 1000, at least until 2006.
- Ridley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"cleared wood"Description:
Can one prominent character affect the gender identity of a name? Definitely, as has supernatural bad girl Ridley Duchannes of the Beautiful Creatures series-turned-movie, played by the gorgeous Emmy Rossum. Before Duchannes, director Ridley Scott all but owned this unusual surname and so gave it a male spin, but it feels girl-appropriate too. And the trendy -ley ending, as in Hadley and Ashley, helps.
- Rivka
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"to tie, bind"Description:
A traditional name still used in Orthodox families. Rivka is the original form of Rebekah or Rebecca, today used far more widely than the original. Rifka is a variation.
- Rei
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"bell or beautiful"Description:
A sweet and simple Japanese name with several possible meanings, depending on the kanji characters used.
- Rennie
Origin:
Diminutive of Rene or Ren; Scottish surname; French; JapaneseMeaning:
"powerful counsel; reborn; water lily, lotus"Description:
in 2021, Katharine McPhee and David Foster named their son Rennie David Foster, a family name on Foster's side. Rennie has a history of use as nickname for the French Rene, as well as other names with the ren element, such as Warren and Ren itself, which has Japanese origins.
- Rhoswen
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"white rose"Description:
If you're looking for an unusual alternative to all those Rose names, Rhoswen might be a good choice. This name has the soft sounds we've come to love from the Welsh language but is still not as familiar as Bronwen and Rhiannon.
- Remington
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place on a riverbank"Description:
Between 1980s-era television private eye Remington Steele and Remington Arms, this name might seem all-boy. But in 2014, Remington entered the US girls' Top 1000, and it's been rising since.
- Ryuko
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"dragon child"Description:
Strong Japanese unisex choice. Dragons are a symbol of power in Japan.
- Raylan
Origin:
Modern invented nameDescription:
Raylan, one of an uncountable number of two syllable, surname-like boys’ names end in n that are in style these days, is inspired by Raylan Givens, the cowboy hat-wearing U.S. Marshall created by writer Elmore Leonard and starring in the television series Justified. The Ray part of the name is of course a traditional choice -- it's usually said to mean "wise" -- but the lan takes it out of Old School Raymond territory. Other variations include Raylen, Raylon, Rayden and so on. The name is also sometimes given to girls, but not nearly as often as it is for boys.