Dog Names That Start With R

A German surname name deriving from the same root as English Ryder. Traditionally, it was the name of the second lowest hereditary rank of the nobility, roughly equivalent to English Baronet. Notable associations are British actor Paul Ritter and a popular European chocolate brand.

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.

Both warmer and cooler than Russell.

Anglicized form of Ruadh

Rupin is one of those names that is virtually unknown in the Western world and yet is easily translated because it feels so familiar -- parts Rupert, Robin, and Reuben. A handsome choice.

Rosebud, a charming flower name, was the childhood nickname used for author Nathaniel Hawthorne's daughter Rose, who made a name for herself by founding the modern hospice movement. Rose Hawthorne Lathrop converted to Catholicism and, after her husband's death, founded a religious order called the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. As a nun and head of that order, she became known as Mother Mary Alphonsa and is now in line for sainthood in the Catholic Church.

Hearty name derived from the Albanian word rronj, meaning "to survive".

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

Could Renegade be the next Maverick? The rebellious meaning and fashionable nickname Ren make it a real possibility.

A possible alternative to the better-known Shoshona.

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

Harvard's sibling.

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

Japanese feminist Raicho Hiratsuka chose the name Raicho for herself - no doubt because of its fabulously meaning. As a journalist and publisher, Raicho fought for the rights of working class women in Japan’s textile industry and eschewed conventional domesticity, openly living with a lover and having her children out of wedlock. Thunderbirds are GO indeed!

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

In 2020, Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden named their daughter Raddix Chloe Wildflower. They invented the name themselves, but radix is a Latin word meaning "root," giving it a nature and linguistics connection.

Pronounced ROOT in its native land, but in a rut here.