Cat Names That Start With R

Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which, strangely enough, was itself a Top 50 name in the fifties and sixties).

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.

Audacious offshoot of Roxanne, the wayward heroine of the musical Chicago.

Like Papa name Rudolf, Rolf never quite emigrated from the Bavarian Alps. You might want to move on to Rollo or Wolf.

Familiar as a Latin surname but has potential as a first.

Raz, like many similar names, is used for both girls and boys in modern Israel. Simple, sleek, memorable.

Ronen derives from the Hebrew word ron, meaning "song," but in America it would likely be interpreted as a variation of the Irish name Ronan.

Often thought of as a one-peson name because of Jungle Book writer Kipling, this was actually his middle name. He was middle-named for Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, the beauty of which inspired his parents to reference it in their first child's name. Trivia tidbit: Actress Kim Raver gave her son Leo the middle name of Kipling.

Indian princely title, more exciting than Prince or Duke, that is also a widely-used name for both genders. In the US, the names Rajah and Raja are uncommon: Ten baby boys were named Rajah last year and 18 were given the Raja spelling.

Ancient martyr name that sounds totally modern, but perhaps too close to rumor.

The name of the most renowned of the Old Masters is a potential option for families who put an emphasis on the creative. Rembrandt Peale was a member of the Peale family of painters, all named for famous artists.

In this country, likely to conjure up visions of leafy lettuce.

Easy (Ezekiel) Rawlins is the hard-boiled detective created by Walter Mosley.

About seven times as many babies of both genders are named Rowan over Rowen, making this by far the secondary spelling. Rowan is used twice as often for boys, while Rowen runs three to one in the boys' favor, with about 300 boys named Rowen in a recent year compared with about 100 girls. That may be because of this spelling's similarity to Owen.

Raz is one of the many modern Israeli unisex names. It's simple and sleek and translates easily to English.

Romaric was derived from the German elements hrôm, meaning "fame," and rîcja, "strong." It's the name of an obscure Frankish saint who left his life as a courtier to become a monk.

One of a number of Hebrew girls' namestarting with Raz. Others include Razel, Raziela,Razili and Raziya.

In the US, the multicultural surname Roe is primarily associated with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, which granted the federal right to abortion. It's never been popular as a given name for either sex but is seen as a nickname for names such as Monroe and Rowan.

Could be seen as extravagantly ecstatic for a baby name, though feel free to rhapsodize about your little girl, whatever her name.

The pronunciation is not intuitive to English speakers, who aren't used to Os said as As.