Cat Names That Start With R

An emerging unisex surname name. Radley is more common for boys — it could be seen as an updated version of Bradley — but for girls, it's a rare alternative to Hadley and Adley.

For parents who hope their child will one day carve their own path.

Related to the Indian word and currency "rupee', Rupa derives its meaning from the ancient Sanskrit language, and can mean both silver and beautiful. Rupa also has strong historical and literary associations (as Rupa Bhawani was a noted 16th Century poetess and mystic) from Kashmir.

In the Book of Samuel, Rizpah is a concubine of Saul. When her sons were killed, she built a house around their bodies and refused to leave their side for seven months.

Modern and dynamic Hebrew name that could work for either sex.

Romy lovers, here's a new one for you! Romary is a surname with French and Scottish roots and has historically been a masculine given name in France. It would be a great choice on either sex, but feels slightly more feminine with the -mary ending and Romy nickname.

Harvard's sibling.

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!

Raga is musical, yes, but that 'rag' syllable worries us.

Philosophical surname that could make an unusual first for a red-headed girl.

Offbeat, under-the-radar choice to honor a Grandma Rosalie.

A cool and accessible Estonian name that feels very fresh in the English-speaking world. Raivo is likely a short form of Raimond, the Estonian translation of Raymond, but some sources claim it derives from the Old Estonian word raivo, meaning "fury" or "rage."

A nickname for medieval names such as Richenza and Rikissa, which were derived from the Germanic name Richiza. RIxa could easily be adapted for modern use, particularly if you're looking to honor a Richard.

A variant of Romer or Rohmer, or simply derived from the English word "roam", meaning to travel freely, spontaneously, wherever your feet may take you.

Romary is most commonly seen as a surname, although it would make a charming first name for a boy or girl. It has French and Scottish origins — the French form is a variation of the given name Romaric and has also been adopted as a surname. The meaning of the Scottish surname is unknown.

The short form, Raivo, is more common these days.

Inventive way to honor a redheaded ancestor, though most people would mispronounce it reeding, making it sound to some kids like a school assignment: Redding is a preferable spelling.

Raido is the rune that corresponds with the Latin letter R in the Elder Furthark runic alphabet. In Old English, it was translated at Rad.

Nowadays it makes an interesting baby name for linguists and language-enthusiasts.