Dog Names That Start With R

Rawlings was a surname brought to England with the Norman invasion and has ties to the name Raul, which means "wolf counsel."

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.

The feminine version of the newly-stylish Roman -- and the longer form of the also-newly-stylish Romy -- would make a girls' choice that achieves that near-impossible balance of being both original and fashionable. This variation is far superior to Romaine, which is too lettuce-y.

Baseball player Ryne Sandberg's nickname is RYNO. Need we say more?

Rosebud, a charming flower name, was the childhood nickname used for author Nathaniel Hawthorne's daughter Rose, who made a name for herself by founding the modern hospice movement. Rose Hawthorne Lathrop converted to Catholicism and, after her husband's death, founded a religious order called the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. As a nun and head of that order, she became known as Mother Mary Alphonsa and is now in line for sainthood in the Catholic Church.

Sleek, unisex surname rarely heard for girls -- which could be seen as an asset.

A musical name that is undeniably cool and, well, rhythmic. Its biggest challenge may be the spelling. Well, maybe not the biggest challenge. Save this one for a middle name.

The Latin Ramon has been in the U.S. Top 1000 since the beginning of baby-naming time, i.e. the past 130+ years. Ramon is the perfect blend of worldly and familiar, with a rocker edge via The Ramones. A cool name classic, if there ever was one.

Rolo is a playful masculine name with multiple possible origins. It may be a diminutive of names like Roland or Ronald, or derive from the Old Norse name Hrólfr (which evolved into Rollo), meaning 'famous wolf.' Historically, Rollo was the Viking leader who founded Normandy in France. The name has a cheerful, approachable quality with its rhythmic sound and 'o' ending. Some may associate it with the caramel candy of the same name, giving it a sweet, nostalgic quality. Though uncommon as a formal name, Rolo works well as a nickname and has seen occasional use in Spanish-speaking countries. Its brevity and friendly sound make it distinctive yet accessible.

Now that Kenji is rising up the ranks, it's only a matter of time before parents discover Renji. Renji Abarai is a character in the anime series Bleach, in which the kanji used for his name mean "second love" or "second romance."

This handsome Japanese name has dozens of possible meanings, depending on the kanji characters used.

Rohan is an Indian (masculine) name derived from Sanskrit and meaning "ascension", however, it is one of those names with cross-cultural possibilities. It can also be a spelling variation of Rowan or Ruadhán and a variation of the Arabic name Ruhan.

Many will associate Rihanna with the Barbados-born singer, known mononymously by her middle name. During her early years of fame, when "Umbrella" was on the radio and "Take a Bow" was playing through the iPod Shuffle, the name shot up the charts in the US, UK, France, and Puerto Rico. Though the name did fall out of the charts as rapidly as it entered and while some parents might feel it is way too tied to the mid-2000s, Rihanna was given to 165 babies in 2023.

Rayden is yet another example of the dozens of new boys' names with the 'aden' sound.

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.

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

Superhero names are fit for humans today, and there's no reason Rambo can't take his place among a generation of babies named Loki, Odin, and Atlas.

The name Rivers combines two major trends: nature names like the popular River itself, and S-ending surname-names such as Brooks, Rhodes, and yes, Rivers.

Romero is one of the less common variations of the stylish family of Rome-related names. Only 32 baby boys were named Romero in the US last year, versus nearly 5000 named Roman and 1100 named Romeo.

Strong Japanese unisex choice. Dragons are a symbol of power in Japan.