Dog Names That Start With R

Variation of Rowena.

This strong name and its variations are well used in Israel.

This classic Robert nickname is starting to sound sweet again, along with ultra-retro Bobby.

The Japanese Rikku is familiar in the west as the name of one of the lead characters of the "Final Fantasy" video game series. Voted "hottest character," the fictional Rikku is a thief with a good sense of humor.

Raja is a widely-used Arabic or Sanskrit name that works for girls as well as boys. Five baby girls were named Raja and seven given the Rajah spelling in the US last year, where for boys the popularity of the spellings was reversed: 18 Raja to ten Rajah.

In Maori and other Polynesian mythology Rangi or Ranginui was a god of the sky, husband of the earth goddess Papa or Papatuanuku. This strong and simple Māori name would make for a fresh celestial choice.

Cute Japanese name with a nickname to match. Rini was used in the Sailor Moon series.

Relief was a name used by the Puritans in reference to the relief of Christ. Leafy was the common nickname.

The Polish form of Ruth has mostly been lost outside of Poland, but though rare, it can still be heard in Polish and Eastern European communities. Ruta has only ever appeared on Illinois' state data, due to Chicago's large Polish population. With Ruth now on the ascent, Ruta may be worth rediscovering.

Cowboyish occupational name that's one of the hottest choices below the Top 1000, increasing in rank more than 5000 places since the year 2000. Roper may not be a unique choice much longer.

Coined in the 1940s: an acronym of "radio detection and ranging".

An Italian surname — a variant of Rossi — meaning "red", hence a red-headed person. Russo is punchy and full of gusto, and very rare as a first name. It debuted on the US charts for boys in 2019.

Colorful middle name choice.

A possible alternative to the better-known Shoshona.

Lovely Hebrew name with distinctive double a's, but beware of possible "banana" teasing.

Urdu form of the Arabic name Ridha.

Both warmer and cooler than Russell.