By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Word name
"rebel"
Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is female, but this name is truly gender neutral, though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest boys' names starting with the letter…
English, Italian
"rock; rest"
Short for Rocco or perhaps Rochelle, this bold nickname has a more peaceful meaning: "rest". But it doubles up as a word name with a wild and edgy sound – especially for girls. Many will still think…
German variation of Robert
"bright fame"
Rupert is a charming-yet-manly name long more popular in Britain (where it's attached to a beloved cartoon bear) than in the U.S. Yet we can see Rupert as a more stylish, modern way to honor an…
English or Gaelic surname
"descendent of the champion"
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. Young "Girl…
Diminutive of Roxanne
Audacious offshoot of Roxanne, the wayward heroine of the musical Chicago.
Latin
"red-head"
Rufus is a rumpled, redheaded (it was the nickname for red-haired King William) ancient Roman name popular with saints and singers (e.g. Rufus Wainwright); now, Rufus is on the cutting edge of cool.…
Irish variation of Raymond
"wise protector"
We love this partly for purely personal reasons, since it is one of our surnames. We used it as the middle name of a son –and it can make a good first choice too. Redmond – also found as Reamann or…
English word name
"independent, uncontrolled"
Now that names like Cannon and Gunner, fit for comic book heroes, are rising up, Rogue may fit right in.
"rejoice"
A joyous (if a little rowdy) word name that's still relatively undiscovered by parents, being given to about 10 babies of each sex per year. Glee actor Matthew Morrison named his son Revel in 2017.
German
"famous wolf"
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…
Feminine diminutive of Randolph
"shield-wolf"
A relic of the midcentury Mandi-Sandi-Andi era.
German, short form of Rudolph
Rudy hasn't yet enjoyed the comeback of cousin name Ruby, despite having been chosen by hip couple Sadie Frost and Jude Law, but it still could happen. Rudy has a lot going for it as a…
Musical name
Ramon is a common Latin male name, but Ramone would clearly be in tribute to the early punk rock group--each of whose members took on the last name Ramone.
Welsh
"white spear; famous friend; fame and joy"
A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw,…
Starbaby name that might prove too supercharged for real life, but if like director Robert Rodriguez you're interested only in boys' names starting with R , you may need to add Rocket (and Rebel and…
"secret"
Runes are symbols in ancient Germanic alphabets. They are often viewed as mysterious and therefore as a name, Rune imparts a feeling of folkloric mystery. As intriguing as that might be, the homonym…
English
Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which,…
British surname
Easy (Ezekiel) Rawlins is the hard-boiled detective created by Walter Mosley.
For parents who hope their child will one day carve their own path.
Short form of Rafael
Rafa is an adorable short form introduced to the world by actors Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale, who used the name for their second son. Rafael is the Latin cognate of the Hebrew boys' name Raphael,…
