Rahab f BiblicalMeans
"spacious" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a woman of Jericho who helped the Israelites capture the city.
Rainbow f English (Rare)From the English word for the arc of multicoloured light that can appear in a misty sky.
Raine f & m English (Rare)From a surname derived from the Old French nickname
reine meaning
"queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of
Rain 1.
Raja 1 f ArabicMeans
"hope" in Arabic, from the root
رجا (rajā) meaning "to hope, to anticipate".
Rajiya f ArabicMeans
"hope" in Arabic, derived from
رجا (rajā) meaning "to hope, to anticipate".
Rakhi f HindiFrom a word for a type of ritual wristband, ultimately from Sanskrit
रक्ष् (rakṣ) meaning "to protect".
Raleigh m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning either "red clearing" or "roe deer clearing" in Old English. A city in North Carolina bears this name, after the English courtier, poet and explorer Walter Raleigh (1552-1618).
Raluca f RomanianRomanian diminutive of the Greek name
Rallou, of uncertain meaning. It was popularized by the actress Rallou Karatza (1778-1870), a daughter of the prince of Wallachia Ioannis Karatzas, who was of Greek background.
Ramla f ArabicMeans
"sand" in Arabic. This was the name of one of the wives of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Ramona f Spanish, Romanian, EnglishFeminine form of
Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel
Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.
Ramsey m & f EnglishFrom an English and Scottish surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"garlic island" in Old English.
Rán f Norse MythologyMeans
"robbery, theft" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology Rán was a sea goddess who captured and drowned sailors. She was wife to
Ægir and the mother of nine daughters by him.
Ran f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蘭 (ran) meaning "orchid" or other kanji pronounced in the same way.
Raniya f ArabicPossibly related to the Arabic root
رنا (ranā) meaning
"to gaze, to look intently".
Rapunzel f LiteratureFrom the name of an edible plant. It is borne by a long-haired young woman locked in a tower in an 1812 German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. An evil sorceress gave her the name after she was taken as a baby from her parents, who had stolen the rapunzel plant from the sorceress's garden. The Grimms adapted the story from earlier tales (which used various names for the heroine).
Rathnait f Irish (Rare)Derived from Old Irish
rath "grace, prosperity" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an early Irish saint.
Rati f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"rest, repose, pleasure" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of love and pleasure, the wife of
Kama.
Ratree f ThaiFrom the name of a variety of jasmine flower, the night jasmine, ultimately from a poetic word meaning "night".
Raven f & m EnglishFrom the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
Ravid m & f HebrewMeans
"ornament, necklace" in Hebrew.
Rawiya f ArabicMeans
"storyteller" in Arabic, derived from
روى (rawā) meaning "to relate, to tell".
Rayyan m & f ArabicMeans
"watered, luxuriant" in Arabic. According to Islamic tradition this is the name of one of the gates of paradise.
Reagan f & m English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Riagáin, derived from the given name
Riagán. This surname was borne by American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
... [more] Rebecca f English, Italian, Swedish, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
רִבְקָה (Rivqa), probably from a Semitic root meaning
"join, tie, snare". This is the name of the wife of
Isaac and the mother of
Esau and
Jacob in the Old Testament. It came into use as an English Christian name after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been consistently used since then, becoming especially common in the second half of the 20th century.
... [more] Reese m & f Welsh, EnglishAnglicized form of
Rhys. It is also used as a feminine name, popularized by the American actress Reese Witherspoon (1976-).
Refilwe m & f TswanaMeans
"we were given" in Tswana, derived from
filwe "given".
Regan f & m Literature, EnglishMeaning unknown. In the chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth it is the name of a treacherous daughter of King
Leir. Shakespeare adapted the story for his tragedy
King Lear (1606). In the modern era it has appeared in the horror movie
The Exorcist (1973) belonging to a girl possessed by the devil. This name can also be used as a variant of
Reagan.
Regina f English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late RomanMeans
"queen" in Latin (or Italian). It was in use as a Christian name from early times, and was borne by a 2nd-century saint. In England it was used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Virgin
Mary, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A city in Canada bears this name, in honour of Queen Victoria.
Regla f SpanishMeans
"rule" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Regla, meaning "Our Lady of the Rule". This name is especially common in Cuba.
Rei f JapaneseFrom Japanese
鈴 (rei) meaning "bell",
麗 (rei) meaning "beautiful, lovely" or
玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade". This name can also be formed by other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Reiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade" or
礼 (rei) meaning "ceremony" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Reilly m & f English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Raghailligh, derived from the given name
Raghailleach, meaning unknown.
Reina 3 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
怜 (rei) meaning "wise" and
奈 (na), a phonetic character. This name can also be formed by other combinations of kanji.
Reine f FrenchMeans
"queen" in French, ultimately from Latin
regina.
Reinhild f GermanFrom the Germanic name
Raginhild, which was composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
hilt "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint who was martyred by the Huns. It is a cognate of the Norse name
Ragnhild.
Remedios f SpanishMeans
"remedies" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, meaning "Our Lady of the Remedies".
Remington m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, itself meaning
"settlement on the Riming stream". It may be given in honour of the American manufacturer Eliphalet Remington (1793-1861) or his sons, founders of the firearms company that bears their name.
Ren m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus",
恋 (ren) meaning "romantic love", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Renata f Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, Croatian, Slovene, Romanian, Late RomanFeminine form of
Renatus.
Renesmee f LiteratureInvented by the American author Stephenie Meyer for a character in her novel
Breaking Dawn (2008), the fourth book of her
Twilight series. The character is the baby daughter of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, with her name combining the names of her grandmothers:
Renée and
Esme.
Reumah f BiblicalMeans
"elevated, exalted" in Hebrew, derived
רָאַם (raʾam) meaning "to rise". According to the Old Testament, Reumah was a concubine of
Nahor and by him the mother of four sons.
Reut f HebrewMeans
"friendship" in Hebrew, making it a variant of the biblical name
Ruth.
Reva f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"one that moves" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Rati.
Reverie f English (Rare)From the English word meaning
"daydream, fanciful musing", derived from Old French
resverie, itself from
resver meaning "to dream, to rave".
Reyes f & m SpanishMeans
"kings" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning "The Virgin of the Kings". According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to King Ferdinand III of Castile and told him his armies would defeat those of the Moors in Seville.
Rhea f Greek Mythology, Roman MythologyMeaning unknown, perhaps related to
ῥέω (rheo) meaning
"to flow" or
ἔρα (era) meaning
"ground". In Greek mythology Rhea was a Titan, the wife of
Cronus, and the mother of the Olympian gods
Zeus,
Poseidon,
Hades,
Hera,
Demeter and
Hestia. Also, in Roman mythology a woman named Rhea
Silvia was the mother of
Romulus and
Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
Rhian f WelshDerived from Welsh
rhiain meaning
"maiden, young woman".
Rhiannon f Welsh, English, Welsh MythologyProbably derived from an unattested Celtic name *
Rīgantonā meaning
"great queen" (Celtic *
rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix
-on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish
Epona. As
Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the
Mabinogi as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to
Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married
Pwyll instead. Their son was
Pryderi.
... [more] Rhoda f Biblical, EnglishDerived from Greek
ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning
"rose". In the New Testament this name was borne by a maid in the house of Mary the mother of John Mark. As an English given name,
Rhoda came into use in the 17th century.
Rhodopis f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning "rose" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". According to Herodotus this was the name of a prostitute who was a slave with
Aesop on Samos. The same figure appears in the 1st-century BC writings of Strabo, which recount the tale of a slave named Rhodopis who marries the Egyptian pharaoh after he finds her sandal and has his men locate the owner. Some sources spell her name as
Rhodope.
Rhona f ScottishPossibly derived from the name of either of the two Hebridean islands called
Rona, which means
"rough island" in Old Norse.
Rhonda f EnglishProbably a blend of the sounds of
Rhoda and
Linda, but maybe also influenced by the name of the Rhondda Valley in South Wales and/or the noted British feminist Margaret Mackworth, Viscountess Rhondda (1883-1956). This name has only been used since the beginning of the 20th century, at first rarely. It started becoming popular in the mid-1940s at the same time as the American actress Rhonda Fleming (1923-2020), born Marilyn Louis. It peaked in the United States in 1965 and thereafter declined.
Rhonwen f WelshWelsh form of
Rowena, appearing in medieval Welsh poems and stories as a personification of the English people.
Richardis f Germanic (Latinized)Germanic name, possibly a feminine form of
Ricohard, though it is likely the second element is
gart "enclosure" (being more common as a second element in feminine names). This was the name of the 9th-century wife of the Frankish emperor Charles the Fat. She is regarded as a saint.
Richmal f English (Rare)Meaning uncertain, possibly a combination of
Richard and
Mary. This name has been used since at least the late 18th century, mainly confined to the town of Bury in Lancashire.
Ricmod f & m GermanicDerived from the Old German element
rih "ruler, king" combined with
muot "mind, spirit".
Ridley m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was originally derived from various place names meaning either
"reed clearing" or
"stripped clearing" in Old English.
Rie f JapaneseFrom Japanese
理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" or
里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Rihab f ArabicMeans
"wide areas, vastnesses" in Arabic, from the plural form of
رحبة (raḥba).
Rihanna f ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
ريحانة (see
Rayhana). This name is borne by the Barbadian singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty (1988-), known simply as Rihanna. In the United States it jumped in popularity between the years 2005 and 2008, when Rihanna was releasing her first albums. It quickly declined over the next few years.
Riko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Riley m & f EnglishFrom a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of
Reilly. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning
"rye clearing" in Old English.
... [more] Rilla f EnglishShort form of names ending in
rilla. It is short for
Marilla in L. M. Montgomery's sequels to her 1908 novel
Anne of Green Gables, where it belongs to a daughter of Anne.
Rim f ArabicMeans
"white antelope" in Arabic.
Rin f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
凛 (rin) meaning "dignified, severe, cold" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Rina 4 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with
奈 (na), a phonetic character, or
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Rio 1 m & f VariousMeans
"river" in Spanish or Portuguese. A city in Brazil bears this name. Its full name is Rio de Janeiro, which means "river of January", so named because the first explorers came to the harbour in January and mistakenly thought it was a river mouth.
Rio 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with
央 (o) meaning "center",
緒 (o) meaning "thread" or
桜 (o) meaning "cherry blossom". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Ríoghnach f Irish MythologyDerived from Old Irish
rígain meaning
"queen". According to some sources, this was the name of a wife of the semi-legendary Irish king
Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Ripley f & m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from the name of various English towns, from Old English
rippel "grove, thicket" and
leah "clearing". A famous fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley (usually only called by her surname) from the
Alien series of movies, beginning 1979.
Rīta f Latvian (Rare)Possibly derived from Latvian
rīts meaning
"morning". Alternatively it could be a Latvian variant of
Rita.
Rita f Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, English, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, EstonianShort form of
Margherita and other names ending in
rita. Saint Rita (born Margherita Lotti) was a 15th-century nun from Cascia, Italy. Another famous bearer was the American actress Rita Hayworth (1918-1987).
Ritika f HindiMeans either
"movement, stream" or
"brass" in Sanskrit.
River m & f English (Modern)From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin
ripa "riverbank".
Rizpah f BiblicalMeans
"coal, hot stone" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament Rizpah was one of
Saul's concubines. After her sons were put to death by the Gibeonites, she guarded the displayed bodies for five months to prevent animals from eating them.
Robin m & f English, French, Dutch, Swedish, CzechMedieval English diminutive of
Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.
Rochelle f EnglishFrom the name of the French city
La Rochelle, meaning
"little rock". It first became commonly used as a given name in America in the 1930s, probably due to the fame of actress Rochelle Hudson (1914-1972) and because of the similarity to the name
Rachel.
Rocío f SpanishMeans
"dew" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary María del Rocío meaning "Mary of the Dew".
Rodica f RomanianMeaning uncertain, perhaps from Romanian
rod (a Slavic borrowing) meaning
"fruit" or Greek
ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning
"rose".