Halflings and Hobbitses
- Pippin
Origin:
Variation of PepinMeaning:
"awe-inspiring"Description:
Super-sweet name that was the title of a Broadway play -- but best known as a type of apple. The Dutch variation is Pepijn is finding some popularity in that country, where short nickname names are stylish.
- Pleasant
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
An admirable quality to impart; Pleasant was used by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend and in modern times is known via American Girl dolls creator Pleasant Rowland.
- Poppy
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"red flower"Description:
Poppy, unlike most floral names which are sweet and feminine, has a lot of spunk. Long popular throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Poppy is finally starting to rise toward the top in the US, where it entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
- Posy
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"a bunch of flowers"Description:
A sweet, nostalgic nosegay kind of name, Posy has been long fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is still rarely heard in the US, though it could be seen as a more unusual possible alternative to Rosy or Josie.
- Potter
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"maker of drinking and storage vessels"Description:
Could join such up-and-comers as Miller and Gardener.
- Primrose
Origin:
English flower nameMeaning:
"first rose"Description:
A quaint and quirky flower name, until recently considered a bit too prim for most American classrooms but brought back to life in recent years by the attractive character of Primrose "Prim" Everdeen in the Hunger Games series. In the Top 300 girl names in England and Wales and on Nameberry, Primrose remains rare in the US, but is made more accessible by a raft of sweet nickname options, including Rosie and Posy.
- Primula
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"first rose"Description:
Primula is related to Primrose, the name and the flower, and would make a quirky yet charming (or is it charming yet quirky?) botanical name for a first daughter.
- Prospero
Origin:
Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese variation of ProsperMeaning:
"succeed, prosper"Description:
Shakespeare's Tempest has kept the name Prospero alive.
- Quartz
Origin:
Mineral nameDescription:
This may be a bit quirky to make it as a name, especially in first place. If you love it, you might try it in the middle.
- Quince
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"applelike fruit"Description:
The girls have Apple, Plum, Peaches, Cherry, and Berry: here's one variety of fruit suitable for a boy.
- Robin
Origin:
Bird name; or English, diminutive of RobertMeaning:
"bright fame"Description:
Now that it's no longer fashionable for girls, Robin is rising for boys again. Robin Hood, Robin Williams, Christopher Robin, and Robin the Boy Wonder are all male namesakes, after all. It reentered the US Top 1000 boys names in 2015 for the first time since 1999 and continues to bounce around the lower end of the Top 1000.
- Robinia
- Rollo
Origin:
Latin form of RolfMeaning:
"wolf"Description:
Rollo is a livelier, roly-poly, o-ending version of Roland.
- Rory
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"red king"Description:
This spirited Gaelic classic, which became popular in Ireland via the illustrious twelfth century king Rory O'Connor, makes a highly energetic choice, now used for either sex. Rory's gender split is still trending boyward; it's one of the coolest boys' names starting with R.
- Rosamund
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"horse protection"Description:
This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation.
- Roscoe
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"deer forest"Description:
Fairly popular a hundred years ago but out of sight now, the quirky Roscoe deserves a place on every adventurous baby-namer's long list. It joins Rufus, Roman, Remy, Romulus, and Ray as one of the R names that sound fresh again after too many years of Robert, Richard, and Ronald.
- Rose
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"rose, a flower"Description:
Rose is derived from the Latin rosa, which referred to the flower. There is also evidence to suggest it was a Norman variation of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis, meaning "famous type," and also Hros, "horse". In Old English it was translated as Roese and Rohese.
- Rosemary
Origin:
Latin or EnglishMeaning:
"dew of the sea, or rosemary (herb)"Description:
Despite appearances, Rosemary is not a "smoosh" name, not even a traditional one. The name derives from two Latin terms "Ros" meaning ‘dew’ and "Marinus" "meaning "of the sea". The plant was termed ‘dew of the sea’ due to its salty texture and its ability to thrive in coastal climes. Only after the Middle Ages did the English names of Rose and Mary become interchanged with the name Rosmarinus and give us the modern name we use today.
- Rudbert
- Rudolph
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"famous wolf"Description:
Sure, he'd probably get a certain amount of red-nosed teasing around the holiday, but a boy named Rudolph could probably take it. Besides, he's got other, more distinguished namesakes -- the great ballet dancer Nureyev, silent screen Lothario Valentino and 9-11 Mayor Giuliani.