Dog Names That Start With R

  1. 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."
  2. 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.
  3. Roald
    • Origin:

      Norwegian
    • Meaning:

      "famous ruler"
    • Description:

      This intriguing Scandinavian name is associated with Roald Dahl, author of the juvenile classics James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You can honor an ancestral Ronald just by dropping that middle 'n'.
  4. Rolando
    • Origin:

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

      Rolando, along with brother name Orlando, are among the most attractive and appealing of Latinate names. It has been in the US Top 1000 every year since 1946.
  5. 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.
  6. Romaine
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "a Roman"
    • Description:

      In this country, likely to conjure up visions of leafy lettuce.
  7. Rooster
    • Origin:

      English animal name
    • Meaning:

      "roosting bird"
    • Description:

      A new addition to the menagerie of animal baby names — Rooster was given to five baby boys in 2019, but did not return to the charts in the following year. The word has American origins — the Puritans used it as an alternative to "cock," which developed its euphemistic meaning around the 1770s. Rooster comes from the verb "to roost," as the birds are known to do.
  8. 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.
  9. Rani
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "my song, my joy"
    • Description:

      Too bad everyone in this country will tend to hear Ronnie.
  10. Rutger
    • Raider
      • Origin:

        English word name
      • Meaning:

        "a marauder"
      • Description:

        Raider is one of the new genre of badass word names, which also includes Rogue, Rebel, Danger, Wilder, and so on. Choose it at your own peril.
    • Racer
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        New, fast, cool, and chosen by director Robert Rodriguez, whose other sons are Rebel, Rocket, and Rogue, all somewhat risky options.
    • Rodolfo
      • Origin:

        Spanish
      • Meaning:

        "bold wolf"
      • Description:

        Romanticizes Rudolph and distances the name from the red-nosed reindeer. After remaining steadily in the US Top 500 for much of the twentieth century, Rodolfo has been slipping of late.
    • 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.
    • Rivers
      • Origin:

        Nature name and surname, English
      • Meaning:

        "rivers"
      • Description:

        Rivers is an indisputably unisex surname with is strong nature connotation and its connection to the character Diana Rivers from Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. Rivers is also the first name of one of the girl Sweet Home sextuplets.
    • Rawlings
      • Origin:

        English surname
      • Meaning:

        "son of Raul"
      • Description:

        Rawlings was a surname brought to England with the Norman invasion and has ties to the name Raul, which means "wolf counsel."
    • Rolo
      • Roone
        • Origin:

          Irish
        • Meaning:

          "red-haired"
        • Description:

          Roone is a lively, attractive and unusual redhead entry brought into the mix by the late TV sports and news executive Roone Arledge, who seemed to own it as a one-person name when he was alive.
      • Rustam
        • Origin:

          Persian
        • Meaning:

          "tall, strongly-built, brave"
        • Description:

          This variation of Rostam might be more English-friendly given its resemblance to the familiar Russ or Russell.
      • Riddick
        • Origin:

          Variation of Reddick, Scottish
        • Description:

          Variation of Reddick, recognizable as the name of Vin Diesel's character in the Riddick film series, based on the Chronicles of Riddick books.