Updated October 2024
Across 5 pages
of 5
English occupational name
"bailiff, sheriff, local official"
Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve could work as a distinctive alternative to Reese. While it is currently more popular for boys, nine girls received the name in…
Invented name
Riggan found fame as the first name of the hero of the Oscar-winning film Birdman, played by Michael Keaton. Riggan has the two-syllable n-ending surname feel so trendy for boys' names today. It may…
English
"son of the red-haired"
Inventive way to honor a redheaded ancestor, though most people would mispronounce it reeding, making it sound to some kids like a school assignment: Redding is a preferable spelling.
"roe-deer brook"
If you feel a burning need to gussy up Ray -- think again.
"son of Robert"
A better modern solution than Robert Jr. ; known to fiction readers via Canadian novelist Robertson Davies.
"stone camp or fortress"
Rochester was Jack Benny's famous valet and sidekick, played by early African-American comic Eddie Anderson.
"Romani"
Romany is a melodious name referring to the Roma or Romani community and their culture, which makes it a potentially controversial choice for a baby not of that heritage. Romany Malco is an actor who…
English from French
"circle"
The -el ending feels inevitably feminine; also a form of French poetry.
"rough clearing"
A rough-and-tumble surname that has seen a small increase in use in recent years. Ten boys received the name in 2024 in the US.
"rook's town or fortress"
The x gives it some modern cool, but the bury part buries it.
"from Rayne or Rennes"
The final s turns a nature name into a Waspy surname.
"red cliff"
Harvard's sibling.
"rye hill"
One way to refer to an ancestral Roy, if not the most mellifluous.
"red enclosure"
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…
"rook fortress"
Rough and sporty, but too specific.
"reedy stream"
Upper-crusty surname name.
"cattle ford"
Stuffy presidential choice: consider Hayes instead.
English, diminutive of Roderick and Rodney
Macho-er than thou.
"fame; gossip, story"
Celebs Demi Moore and Bruce Willis made waves in the 80s when they named their now-grown daughter after novelist Rumer Godden. The author was actually born Margaret, with family surname Rumer as her…
Variation of Wrecker
"a person or thing that wrecks or damages something"
Rekker comes to us thanks to actor Cam Gigandet, who gave his son this phonetic spelling of badass word name Wrecker. Use at your own peril.