Dog Names That Start With R

  1. Ramses
    • Origin:

      Egyptian
    • Meaning:

      "son of God"
    • Description:

      Ramses was the name of several kings in Ancient Egypt, including the long-reigning Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great. Unfortuntely, some may associate it with the condom brand name.
  2. Rivers
    • Origin:

      Nature name and surname, English
    • Meaning:

      "rivers"
    • Description:

      The name Rivers combines two major trends: nature names like the popular River itself, and S-ending surname-names such as Brooks, Rhodes, and yes, Rivers.
  3. Ramsey
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "low-lying land"
    • Description:

      A surname with potential as a first — Ramsey was given to a little over 100 baby boys in 2022.
  4. 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.
  5. Rosette
    • 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.
    • Renly
      • Origin:

        Modern invented name
      • Description:

        Renly Baratheon was a fairly minor character in A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones, mostly remembered as the one of the show's few prominent LGBT characters. He played a major part in season 2 of the show, when he challenged the Lannisters and his older brother Stannis for control of the Iron Throne.
    • Rihanna
      • Origin:

        Arabic
      • Meaning:

        "sweet basil"
      • Description:

        Rihanna, the name of the Barbados-born singer, whose birth name was Robyn Rihanna, attracted a fair number of parents for several years, but has now dropped out of the Top 1000 again. It has generated several spelling variations, including Rihana, Rhianna and even the Brianna-inspired Brihanna.
    • Rosamond
      • Origin:

        German
      • Meaning:

        "horse protection"
      • Description:

        The kind of serious old-school name that sounds appealing again; perfect for the intrepid baby namer. More commonly spelled Rosamund but highly unusual these days in either version, with fewer than 20 baby girls named Rosamund in the US last year while Rosamond didn't even register with five.
    • Rhian
      • Origin:

        Welsh
      • Meaning:

        "maiden"
      • Description:

        Popular in Wales, but likely to be mispronounced as Ryan here.
    • Rene
      • Origin:

        Variation of Renee
      • Meaning:

        "reborn"
      • Description:

        This name is hanging on as Renee, thanks to Ms. Zellweger, and in newer forms Renae and Renny.
    • 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.
    • Regis
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "kingly"
      • Description:

        Venerable old saint's name now associated solely with talk show host Philbin, who is constantly seeking namesakes.
    • Roxie
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Roxanne
      • Description:

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

        Spelling variation of Reagan, Irish
      • Meaning:

        "little king"
      • Description:

        Less popular than Reagan, but more popular than Regan, Raegan is a spelling option for the popular Irish surname. It followed Reagan up the charts in the 90s, perhaps due to its similarity to Morgan, but in recent years, use of Raegan has declined
    • Ramsey
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "low-lying land"
      • Description:

        The cruelly-macho character of Ramsey Bolton on Game of Thrones would seem to mitigate against this name being seen as the least bit girlish, but in 2021 there were 120 female Ramseys born to 134 male, placing it among the most popular of the truly unisex baby names.
    • Renji
      • Origin:

        Japanese
      • Meaning:

        "second love"
      • Description:

        Now that Kenji is rising up the ranks, it's only a matter of time before parents discover Renji. Renji Abarai is a character in the anime series Bleach, in which the kanji used for his name mean "second love" or "second romance."
    • Romain
      • Roberto
        • Origin:

          Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese variation of Robert
        • Description:

          Standard Latin classic.
      • 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.