Dog Names That Start With R
- Roma
Origin:
Italian place-nameDescription:
Never as popular as Florence; today's parents might prefer Venezia, Verona, or Romy. It is also a Hindu name meaning "one with shiny hair" and is another name for the goddess Lakshmi.
- Remington
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place on a riverbank"Description:
Remington Steele was the perfect name for an upper-crust action hero on 1980s television. Now, Remington is catching fire along with a new generation of predatory baby boy names such as Hunter, Gunner, and Colt. Or you might consider it a unisex namewith a buttoned-up British feel and the friendly short form Rem or Remy.
- Rooney
Origin:
English or Gaelic surnameMeaning:
"descendent of the champion"Description:
Talented actress Rooney Mara (originally born Patricia Rooney) has single-handedly transformed this Gaelic surname into a wearable and elegant girls' name. Often said to mean "red-haired", the original surname, rendered as O' Ruanaidh, actually means "descendent of the champion". Trivia note: the most famous Rooney, Mickey Rooney, was originally born Joseph Yule.
- Ravi
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"sun; conferring"Description:
A title of the Hindu sun god, made cross-culturally famous by sitar player Ravi Shankar.
- Rogue
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"independent, uncontrolled"Description:
Now that names like Cannon and Gunner, fit for comic book heroes, are rising up, Rogue may fit right in.
- Remi
Origin:
French, variation of RemyMeaning:
"oarsman"Description:
Makes the jaunty Remy a little more nicknamey and feminine. Remi is on the rise for both girls and boys, having entered the Top 1000 for boys in 2019.
- Ray
Origin:
Diminutive of Rachel or Raymond; word nameDescription:
Most female Rays used to spell their names Rae, but now the Ray Charles, ray-of-sunshine way is cool for both genders.
- Renzo
Origin:
Diminutive of LorenzoDescription:
Rakish nickname able to stand on its own.
- Rui
Origin:
Portuguese diminutive of RodrigoMeaning:
"famous ruler"Description:
This charming mini name began life as a nickname for Rodrigo but has since taken on a life of its own, ranking as an independent name in Portugal, it’s country of origin. If you’re looking to honor a Rodrigo, Roger, or Roderick in your life, Rui is an appealing international option. Ruy is a spelling variation that is more commonly seen in Spain.
- Rei
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"bell or beautiful"Description:
A sweet and simple Japanese name with several possible meanings, depending on the kanji characters used.
- Reuel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"friend of God"Description:
This soft-yet-sturdy Biblical name belonged to Moses’ father-in-law (also called Jethro) and was the second middle name of J.R.R. Tolkien.
- Rhydian
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"unknown"Description:
Variation on Rhidian, a Welsh saint's name.
- Rylan
Origin:
English and IrishMeaning:
"rye land"Description:
A unisex name, Rylan plays on many popular baby names, including Ryan and Riley. For boys, the trendy Rylan is in the US Top 500, while for girls, it fell out of Top 1000 in 2023, having been a regular feature since 2009.
- Runa
Origin:
Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, JapaneseMeaning:
"secret lore; moon"Description:
A strong and stylish alternative to the super-fashionable Luna, with a double background as a Scandinavian and Japanese name. It's the female form of the Nordic male name Rune, meaning "secret lore", and also a Japanese name meaning "moon" – making this an undiscovered celestial choice.
- Rhythm
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
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.
- Rooney
Origin:
English or Gaelic surnameMeaning:
"descendent of the champion"Description:
Rooney is one of many bouncy Irish surnames that could make an agreeable first, once tied to Mickey Rooney (who was actually born Joseph Yule) in his young and spunky Andy Hardy period.
- Ripley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"strip of clearing in the woods"Description:
The "Believe It or Not" jokes will get old fast, but this surname feels fun and on-trend for both girls and boys, reminiscent of Riley, Tripp, Bridger, and Oakley.
- Riggs
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"one who lives on the ridge"Description:
Riggs, with its suave, cowboy-cool style, is one of the hottest new names on the scene. Boy names that end with S are particularly trendy right now, with similar choices Briggs, Wells, and Jones zooming up the charts.
- Reign
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"rule"Description:
Reign is one of a new, ahem, kingdom of word names that suggest a high-born child, joining Royal, Lorde, Titan, Saint, King, Princess, and Noble. We predicted this kind of defining name to be the Number 1 baby name trend of 2015...two weeks before Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick named their third child, a boy, Reign. Reign is as appropriate for girls as for boys. The female version is often spelled Rain -- or Raine or Rayne -- though that makes is more nature and less royal word name. Reign entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
- Rochelle
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"little rock"Description:
Long-standing French name that retains a feminine, fragile, and shell-like image.