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".
Rohan 2 f LiteratureFrom the novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, where it is a place name meaning
"horse country" in the fictional language Sindarin.
Rohini f Hinduism, MarathiMeans
"ascending" in Sanskrit, also the Sanskrit name for the star Aldebaran. This is a Hindu goddess, the favourite consort of the moon god
Chandra. The name was also borne by a wife of
Vasudeva and the mother of
Balarama according to the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Róis f Irish (Rare)Irish form of
Rose, or directly from the Irish word
rós meaning
"rose" (genitive
róis; of Latin origin).
Róisín f IrishDiminutive of
Róis or the Irish word
rós meaning
"rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song
Róisín Dubh.
Roma 2 f VariousFrom the name of the Italian city, commonly called
Rome in English.
Romi f HebrewMeans
"my height, my exaltation" in Hebrew.
Rong f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
荣 (róng) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper",
融 (róng) meaning "fuse, harmonize" or
容 (róng) meaning "appearance, form" (which is usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well.
Ronja f Swedish, FinnishInvented by Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, who based it on the middle portion of
Juronjaure, the name of a lake in Sweden. Lindgren used it in her 1981 book
Ronia the Robber's Daughter (
Ronia is the English translation).
Rory m & f Irish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Ruaidhrí. Typically a masculine name, it gained some popularity for girls in the United States after it was used on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), in this case as a nickname for
Lorelai. Despite this, the name has grown more common for boys in America, especially after 2011, perhaps due to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (1989-).
Rosa 1 f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, EnglishGenerally this can be considered to be from Latin
rosa meaning
"rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name
Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).
Rosabel f English (Rare)Combination of
Rosa 1 and the common name suffix
bel, inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was created in the 18th century.
Rosalba f ItalianItalian name meaning
"white rose", derived from Latin
rosa "rose" and
alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).
Rosalie f French, German, Dutch, EnglishFrench, German and Dutch form of
Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie
Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.
Rosalind f EnglishDerived from the Old German elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Rosaline f EnglishMedieval variant of
Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's
Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and
Romeo and Juliet (1596).
Rosamund f English (Rare)Derived from the Old German elements
hros "horse" and
munt "protection". This name was borne by the wife of the Lombard king Alboin in the 6th century. The Normans introduced it to England. It was subsequently interpreted as coming from Latin
rosa munda "pure rose" or
rosa mundi "rose of the world". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. According to legends she was murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Rosario f & m Spanish, ItalianMeans
"rosary", and is taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Rosario meaning "Our Lady of the Rosary". This name is feminine in Spanish and masculine in Italian.
Rosaura f SpanishMeans
"golden rose", derived from Latin
rosa "rose" and
aurea "golden". This name was (first?) used by Pedro Calderón de la Barca for a character in his play
Life Is a Dream (1635).
Rose f English, FrenchOriginally a Norman French form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hruod "fame" and
heit "kind, sort, type". The Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Roselle f VariousDiminutive of
Rose. This is the name of a type of flowering shrub (species Hibiscus sabdariffa) native to Africa but now grown in many places, used to make hibiscus tea.
Rosemary f EnglishCombination of
Rose and
Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin
ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.
Rosenrot f LiteratureMeans
"rose red" in German, used in the Brothers Grimm folktale
Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot (English translation
Snow-White and Rose-Red). In the tale Rosenrot and her sister
Schneeweißchen befriend a bear who has been cursed by an evil dwarf.
Roshni f Marathi, HindiFrom Hindi and Marathi
रौशनी (raushanī) meaning
"light, brightness", ultimately of Persian origin.
Rosina f ItalianItalian diminutive of
Rosa 1. This is the name of a character in Rossini's opera
The Barber of Seville (1816).
Roswitha f GermanDerived from the Old German elements
hruod "fame" and
swind "strong". This was the name of a 10th-century nun from Saxony who wrote several notable poems and dramas.
Rotem m & f HebrewFrom the name of a desert plant (species Retama raetam), possibly related to Hebrew
רָתַם (ratam) meaning "to harness, to bind".
Rover m & f PetFrom an English word, the agent noun of the verb
rove meaning "roam, wander". This a stereotypical name for a dog.
Rowan m & f Irish, English (Modern)Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Rowena f EnglishMeaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Roxana f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latin form of
Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxane), the Greek form of an Old Persian or Bactrian name, from Old Iranian *
rauxšnā meaning
"bright, shining". This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel
Roxana (1724).
Roxane f French, EnglishFrench and English form of
Roxana. This is the name of Cyrano's love interest in the play
Cyrano de Bergerac (1897).
Roxelana f HistoryFrom a Turkish nickname meaning
"Ruthenian". This referred to the region of Ruthenia, covering Belarus, Ukraine and western Russia. Roxelana (1504-1558), also called
Hürrem, was a slave and then concubine of
Süleyman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire. She eventually became his wife and produced his heir, Selim II.
Roya f PersianMeans
"dream" in Persian, of Arabic origin, derived from
رأى (raʾā) meaning "to see, to perceive".
Royal m & f EnglishFrom the English word
royal, derived (via Old French) from Latin
regalis, a derivative of
rex "king". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century.
Royalty f English (Modern)From the English word
royalty, derived (via Old French) from Latin
regalitas, a derivative of
rex "king".
Roza 2 f GermanicOld German short form of feminine names beginning with Old Frankish
hroþi or Old High German
hruod meaning
"fame" (Proto-Germanic *
hrōþiz).
Ru m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
儒 (rú) meaning "scholar",
如 (rú) meaning "like, as, if", or other characters with similar pronunciations.
Rubab f Arabic, UrduFrom an Arabic word referring to a type of stringed musical instrument. This was the name of the wife of the Prophet
Muhammad's grandson
Husayn.
Rubena f EsperantoFrom Esperanto
rubeno meaning
"ruby", ultimately from Latin
ruber "red".
Ruby f EnglishSimply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin
ruber "red"), which is the traditional birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century.
Rue f EnglishFrom the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek
ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of
Ruth 1.
Rukmini f Hinduism, Marathi, KannadaMeans
"adorned with gold" in Sanskrit. According to the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata and the Puranas this was the name of a princess of Vidarbha who became the first wife of
Krishna. She is regarded as an avatar of
Lakshmi.
Ruoxi f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
若 (ruò) meaning "like, if" and
汐 (xī) meaning "evening tide". Other combinations of similar-sounding characters can also form this name.
Rupinder m & f Indian (Sikh)Means
"greatest beauty" from Sanskrit
रूप (rūpa) meaning "beauty, form" combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "greatest".
Ruqayya f ArabicDerived either from Arabic
رقيّ (ruqīy) meaning
"rise, ascent" or from
رقية (ruqya) meaning
"spell, charm, incantation". Both of these words are derived from the Arabic root
رقي (raqiya) meaning "to rise". This was the name of one of the daughters of the Prophet
Muhammad. She became a wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. The name was also borne by daughters of
Ali and
Husayn.
Rusnė f LithuanianFrom the name of an island in the Neman River delta in southwestern Lithuania.
Rusudan f GeorgianPossibly derived from Persian
روز (rūz) meaning
"day". This name was borne by a 13th-century ruling queen of Georgia.
Rūta f Lithuanian, LatvianMeans
"rue" in Lithuanian, the rue plant being a bitter medicinal herb that is a national symbol of Lithuania. This is also the Lithuanian form of
Ruth 1.
Ruth 1 f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
רוּת (Ruṯ), probably derived from the word
רְעוּת (reʿuṯ) meaning
"female friend". This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who accompanied her mother-in-law
Naomi back to Bethlehem after Ruth's husband died. There she met and married
Boaz. She was an ancestor of King
David.
... [more] Ruya f ArabicMeans
"vision, sight" in Arabic, a derivative of
رأى (raʾā) meaning "to see, to perceive".
Ruzan f ArmenianMeaning unknown. It was used by the Armenian author Muratsan for the main character in his historical play
Ruzan (1882).
Ruzha f Bulgarian, MacedonianMeans
"hollyhock" in Bulgarian (referring to flowering plants from the genera Alcea and Althaea). This is also an alternate transcription of Macedonian
Ружа (see
Ruža).
Ry m & f EnglishShort form of
Ryan and other names beginning with
Ry.