User-created list
Potential Character Surnames
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of 34
Phemie
Phemie is a charming feminine name functioning primarily as a diminutive of Euphemia, which comes from Greek meaning 'well-spoken' or 'speech of good omen.' This shortened form offers a friendly,…
Posey
English
"a bunch of flowers"
Posey is fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is only starting to be heard here. A possible alternative to Rosy or short form for Josephine. Posey…
Queen
Word name
"queen"
Queen has seen a revival in recent times, reaching its record high in 2018 with 280 births — it has remained steady since then. Previously, Queen saw a peak in the 1920s, but its origins go back even…
Quiteria
Spanish
"the red one"
St Quiteria was a second-century virgin martyr who was killed after refusing to renounce her Christian faith in order to marry. She was born in what is now Portugual, and her name is sometimes used…
Rae
English, diminutive of Rachel, Hebrew
"ewe"
All the old ae/ay middle names for girls are back — Kay, Fay, Mae/May — and Rae is one of the coolest, used as such by celebrities as Mark Wahlberg and Daniel Baldwin. Even more popular in the…
Raine
French
"queen"
Attracted attention as the stepmother of Princess Diana.
Raylee
Modern Invented Name, combination of Ray and Lee
"beam of light + meadow"
A trendy choice that takes a little from Riley and a little from Kayleigh, to create the rather appealing meaning, "beam of light in the meadow".
Rayleigh
Variation of Raleigh or Raylee
"meadow of roe deer; beam of light + meadow"
Inspired by either Raleigh -- a North Carolina place-name and the surname of the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh - or by Raylee, a modern creation, blending Ray and Lee, Rayleigh has been steadily used…
Reinette
French
"little queen"
Reinette was the childhood nickname of Madame La Pompadour, perhaps a cute short form for Regina or Reina but hardly worthy of the full name on the birth certificate today.
Renesmee
Literary invention
Invented by author Stephenie Meyer for the Twilight series for the half-human, half-vampire daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, it's an amalgamtion of the names of Bella's mother Renee and…
Rhiannon
Welsh
"divine queen"
Strong and outdoorsy, yet pretty and queenly, Rhiannon was a once obscure Welsh name, brought into the mainstream in 1976, following Fleetwood Mac's flash hit song of the same title. It stormed into…
Rhonwen
Welsh
"slender, fair"
The delicate and haunting Welsh Rhonwen is still a rarity in the U.S., where her English version Rowena is better known, but would be a lovely choice for any parent in search of a name that was both…
Ripley
English
"strip of clearing in the woods"
With its surname-style, literary feel, and similarity in sound to Finley, Juniper, Pippa, Riley, and Presley, Ripley is an unexpected choice that was given to more than 200 girls in each recent year.…
Rosalind
Latin
"soft horse or pretty rose"
Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It . Along with a bouquet of other Rose…
Roslyn
Spelling variation of Rosalind
Spelling variations abound when a name is trendy, which Rosalind is not these days. We say leave Roslyn back in the middle of the 20th century and reclaim the original Rosalind.
Rowen
Spelling variation of Rowan, Scottish and Irish
"rowan tree; little redhead"
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…
Rubi
Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese
"ruby; precious gemstone, lapis lazuli + beautiful"
The Spanish and Portuguese form of popular Ruby is another addition to the list of attractive gem names for girls, that might sometimes be used by English speaking parents who want their child's name…
Rylynn
Irish, English
"rye clearing; rye land"
Rylynn blends a number of modern trends: love for name Riley, the addition of the -lyn suffix, replacement of a vowel with a Y, a nature-connected meaning, and a slightly unisex, surname-inspired…
Samiyah
Arabic
"high, exalted, praised"
Samiyah hovers near the bottom of the US Top 1000, used expecially by Arab-American and African-American families. Variations include Samiya, Samiah, and Samia.
Saniyah
Persian, Urdu, Arabic
"second; brilliant, splendid"
Deriving from the names Sania, meaning "second" or Saniyya meaning "brilliant", it is the single Y spelling that has been preferred in the US, probably owing to its similarity to popular Aaliyah. The…