Cat Names That Start With R

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, though elsewhere it might be associated with fish eggs or a small breed of reddish deer.

Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is a hilarious Australian actress who puts a female spin on this contemporary badass baby name. Still, we think this name is truly gender neutral – though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest girls' names starting with the letter R.

Not to be confused with Rabbi (a Jewish leader, scholar, and teacher), Rabi is an Arabic name meaning "springtime", that also appears as Rabih and Rabeeh.

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.

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

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."

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

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

Sounds a bit like a shortening of Rafael or a condensation of Rafaela, but Rafa is a name in its own right. Whether you use it as a full name or a nickname, Rafa's casual coolness could allow it to follow in the footsteps of other tomboy names for girls, like Billie and Scout.

Most graceful of the Raz names, relates to Graziella.

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.

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

With its soft sounds, its unisex appeal, and its nature connection, Rowan has become a very popular name for both boys and girls, given to nearly four boys for every girl. The Rowen variation maintains the same gender split but is much less popular for both sexes, with nearly four times as many babies named Rowan as Rowen.

Revan is a name from the Star Wars universe that first appeared in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He starts out on the light side of the Force, then became a Sith Lord on the dark side before reversing trend and working for the light side once more. Revan first appeared on the baby name charts in 2004, the year following the video game release.

A feminine form of Rufus, which has potential in the current trend for ancient Roman names.

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

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.

Radha (also called Radhika, Radharani, or Radhe) is an important goddess in Hinduism, the queen and favourite consort of the god Krishna. She is also sometimes considered an avatar of Lakshmi, goddess of beauty, wealth and prosperity.

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

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. Radley is also a literary name via To Kill a Mockingbird, the surname of mysterious recluse Boo Radley.