Potential Character Surnames

St Quiteria was a 5th century virgin martyr who was killed after refusing to renounce her Christian faith in order to marry. Her name may derive from Kythere ("the red one"), a title of the Phonecian mother-goddess Astarte, perhaps via Greek Kythereia, an epithet of Aphrodite. The French version is Quitterie.

Quitterie is a quirky saint’s name which is considered très chic in France at the moment. St Quiteria was a 5th century virgin martyr who was killed after refusing to renounce her Christian faith in order to marry.

All the old ae/ay middle names for girls are back--Kay, Fay, Mae/May, --and Rae is one of the coolest, used as such by celebrities as Mark Wahlberg and Daniel Baldwin. Even more popular in the celebrisphere is the jazzy Ray spelling: among those who used it as their daughters' middles are Bruce Willis, Dermot Mulroney, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman and Lee Lee Sobieski.

Raif (or Raef, Rayif) is a Muslim name usually given in reference to the Qur’anic verse "God is most compassionate and most merciful to mankind." A notable bearer is Saudi writer, dissident and activist Raif Badawi.

Attracted attention as the stepmother of Princess Diana.

Rainer is one of those baby names that is still under-the-radar but has been quietly gaining traction: The number of boys who've received the name has doubled in the past decade, to just under 50. Part nature name and part traditional German name for boys, Rainer can claim a place among the two-syllable r-ending baby names so fashionable for boys today.

European royal name, and to Americans a place-name evoking the majestic mountain in Washington state.

Ralph has two diametrically different images: there's the suave Ralph Fiennes-type Brit (often pronounced Rafe), and then there's the Jackie Gleason blue-collar, bowling blowhard Ralph Kramden bus driver. It's all in the eye of the beholder, though its hip factor did rise when it was chosen for his son by cool U.K. actor Matthew Macfadyen.

Rami has gained notoriety in the English-speaking world as the first name of the Oscar-nominated actor Rami Malek, whose parents immigrated to the US from Egypt. Rami also feels more approachable thanks to the stylish Remi, Romy, and Rumi. The only challenge is keeping the pronunciation on track.

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

A surname with potential as a first — Ramsey was given to a little over 100 baby boys in 2022.

Medieval name without much of a future.

The list of occupational boys' names continues to expand, and this is one of the latest to ride onto the range. With a hint of cowboy and Western, a sprinkle of preppy surname, an outdoorsy, nature-connected vibe, and a soft-but-strong sound, Ranger has a lot going for it. More than doubling in use over the last decade, it was given to around 120 boys in 2023.

Ransom may be rakish and handsome, but it carries an unavoidable association with holding someone for ransom. But that kind of bad boy image might be exactly what attracts you to Ransom in the first place. While Ransom feels like a modern appellation ala Breaker or Ranger, it's interesting to note on the popularity chart that it was actually quite popular at the end of the 19th century but fell off the Top 1000 around 1930.

In the US, Rashad is one of the most popular and best-known Arabic names, through several sports and entertainment celebrities.

A trendy choice that takes a little from Riley and a little from Kayleigh, to create the rather appealing meaning, "beam of light in the meadow".

Inspired by either Raleigh -- a North Carolina place-name and the surname of the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh - or by Raylee, a modern creation, blending Ray and Lee, Rayleigh has been steadily used since the beginning of the 2010s. Never as popular as Braylee, Kayleigh, Hailey, Jaylee, or Bailey, Rayleigh was given to around 160 girls - and 13 boys - in 2023.

Inextricably tied to the former president, Reagan is a handsome surname name with a cool, current sound. Gender-neutral nickname Ray/Rae is also very on-trend right now.

Reinette was the childhood nickname of Madame La Pompadour, perhaps a cute short form for Regina or Reina but hardly worthy of the full name on the birth certificate today.

A very popular name for boys, also used for girls, in Japan, most familiar in the West as half of cartoon's "Ren and Stimpy," and as the hero in both the original and updated versions of "Footloose."