Ra m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
rꜥ meaning
"sun" or
"day". Ra was an important Egyptian sun god originally worshipped in Heliopolis in Lower Egypt. He was usually depicted as a man with the head of a falcon crowned with a solar disc. In later times his attributes were often merged with those of other deities, such as
Amon,
Atum and
Horus.
Rabbie m ScotsScots diminutive of
Robert. This is the familiar name of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
Rabiu m HausaFrom Arabic
رابع (rabi') meaning
"fourth", sometimes added to a given name to indicate the fourth sibling bearing it.
Ra'd m ArabicMeans
"thunder" in Arabic. This is the name of the 13th chapter of the Quran (surah ar-Rad).
Radboud m Dutch (Rare)Derived from the Old German elements
rat meaning "counsel, advice" and
bot meaning "command, order". This was the name of a 7th-century king of the Frisians.
Radcliff m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"red cliff" in Old English.
Rade m Serbian, CroatianShort form of
Milorad and other names containing the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". It is often used independently.
Radek m Czech, PolishOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". In Poland it is usually a diminutive of
Radosław.
Radim m CzechOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Radko m Bulgarian, CzechOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Radoš m SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing", originally a diminutive of names beginning with that element.
Radu m RomanianOld Romanian diminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". Radu Negru was the semi-legendary founder of Wallachia in the 13th century.
Radulf m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
rat meaning "counsel, advice" and
wolf meaning "wolf", making it a cognate of
Ráðúlfr.
Radúz m Czech (Rare)Derived from Czech
rád meaning
"happy, glad". The Czech author Julius Zeyer probably created it for a character in his play
Radúz and Mahulena (1898).
Raeburn m English (Rare)From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"stream where deer drink" (from Scots
rae "roe deer" and
burn "stream"). A famous bearer of the surname was Scottish portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).
Rafe m EnglishVariant of
Ralph. This form became common during the 17th century, reflecting the usual pronunciation.
Rafferty m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, itself derived from the given name
Rabhartach meaning "flood tide".
Raginbert m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
beraht "bright". This was the name of an 8th-century Lombard king.
Ragnarr m Old NorseFrom the Old Norse elements
regin "advice, counsel" and
herr "army, warrior". It is a cognate of
Rayner. This name was borne by the legendary Viking hero Ragnar Lodbrok.
Rahmi m TurkishMeans
"merciful" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic.
Rahu m HinduismPossibly means
"seizer", from the root
रभ् (rabh) meaning "to take hold, to clasp". In Hindu astrology this is the name of the ascending node of the moon, personified as an asura (demon god) responsible for eclipses.
Rahul m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, TeluguModern form of
Rahula.
Rahula m Sanskrit, BuddhismMeaning uncertain, possibly derived from the name of the asura
Rahu. This was the name of the son of Siddhartha Gautama (the
Buddha).
Raijin m Japanese MythologyFrom Japanese
雷 (rai) meaning "thunder" and
神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of thunder and storms in the mythology of Japan.
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.
Raivo m EstonianMeaning uncertain. It is possibly a diminutive of
Raimond or it could be related to the Old Estonian word
raivo meaning
"fury, rage".
Raj m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"empire, royalty", from Sanskrit
राज्य (rajya).
Rajab m ArabicFrom the name of the seventh month in the Islamic calendar, derived from Arabic
رجب (rajaba) meaning "respect, awe".
Rajaram m Hindi, MarathiMeans
"king Rama", from Sanskrit
राज (raja) meaning "king" combined with the name
Rama 1. This name was borne by a 17th-century ruler of the Maratha Empire.
Rajendra m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, NepaliMeans
"lord of kings", derived from Sanskrit
राज (raja) meaning "king" combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This was the name of two 11th-century rulers of the Chola Empire in southern India.
Rajesh m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"ruler of kings" from Sanskrit
राज (raja) meaning "king" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler".
Rajnish m HindiMeans
"lord of the night" from Sanskrit
रजनि (rajani) meaning "night" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler". This is another name for the moon in Hindu texts.
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).
Ralph m English, German, SwedishContracted form of the Old Norse name
Ráðúlfr (or its Norman form
Radulf). Scandinavian settlers introduced it to England before the Norman Conquest, though afterwards it was bolstered by Norman influence. In the Middle Ages it was variously spelled
Rauf,
Rafe or
Ralf reflecting the usual pronunciation. The
Ralph spelling became more common in the 18th century. A famous bearer of the name was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American poet and author who wrote on transcendentalism.
Ram 1 m BiblicalMeans
"exalted" in Hebrew. This was a son of Hezron in the Old Testament.
Rama 1 m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, MalayalamMeans
"pleasing, beautiful" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of an incarnation of the god
Vishnu. He is the hero of the
Ramayana, a Hindu epic, which tells of the abduction of his wife
Sita by the demon king Ravana, and his efforts to recapture her.
... [more] Ramadan m ArabicFrom the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
رمض (ramad) meaning "parchedness, scorchedness". Muslims traditionally fast during this month.
Ramakrishna m Telugu, KannadaCombination of the names of the Hindu deities
Rama 1 and
Krishna. This name was borne by the Hindu religious teacher Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886).
Raman 2 m Persian MythologyMeans
"peace" in Avestan. In Zoroastrianism, this is the name of a Yazata (a holy being) who presides over joy.
Ramaz m GeorgianPossibly a Georgian form of
Ramadan. It appears in the 12th-century Georgian epic
The Knight in the Panther's Skin.
Ramazi m GeorgianForm of
Ramaz with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.
Rambabu m TeluguMeans
"father Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity
Rama 1 combined with Telugu
బాబు (babu) meaning "father".
Rambert m GermanicVariant of
Hrambert or
Raginbert. These names have become confused with one another and merged together. Saint Rambert, also called Ragnebert, was martyred near Lyon in the 7th century.
Ramdas m Marathi, HindiMeans
"servant of Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity
Rama 1 combined with Sanskrit
दास (dasa) meaning "servant". This name was borne by a 17th-century Hindu holy man from Maharashtra.
Ramesses m Ancient Egyptian (Anglicized)From
Ῥαμέσσης (Rhamesses), the Greek form of Egyptian
rꜥ-ms-sw meaning
"born of Ra", composed of the name of the supreme god
Ra combined with the root
msj "be born". Ramesses was the name of eleven Egyptian pharaohs of the New Kingdom. The most important of these were Ramesses II the Great who campaigned against the Hittites and also built several great monuments (13th century BC), and Ramesses III who defended Egypt from the Libyans and Sea Peoples (12th century BC).
Ramin m Persian, AzerbaijaniDerived from Middle Persian
𐭥𐭠𐭬 (rʾm) meaning
"peace, joy". This is the name of a character in the Persian epic
Vis and Ramin, written by the 11th-century poet Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani.
Ramiro m Spanish, PortugueseSpanish and Portuguese form of
Ramirus, earlier
Ranimirus, a Latinized form of a Visigothic name derived from the Gothic element
rana "wedge" or perhaps
ragin "law, decree, assessment, responsibility" combined with
mers "famous". Saint Ramirus was a 6th-century prior of the Saint Claudius Monastery in León. He and several others were executed by the Arian Visigoths, who opposed orthodox Christianity. This name was subsequently borne by kings of León, Asturias and Aragon.
Ramprasad m Bengali, Hindi, MarathiMeans
"clearness of Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity
Rama 1 combined with Sanskrit
प्रसाद (prasada) meaning "clearness, brightness". This name was borne by the Bengali poet Ramprasad Sen (c. 1723-1781).
Ramsey m EnglishFrom an English and Scottish surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"garlic island" in Old English.
Ramūnas m LithuanianDerived from Lithuanian
ramus meaning
"calm, peaceful" combined with the patronymic suffix
ūnas.
Randolf m EnglishFrom the Old German elements
rant meaning "rim (of a shield)" and
wolf meaning "wolf". The Normans brought this name to England, where there existed already an Old Norse cognate
Randúlfr, which had been introduced by Scandinavian settlers.
Randolf became rare after the Middle Ages, though it was revived in the 18th century (usually in the spelling
Randolph).
Rangi m Maori, Polynesian MythologyMeans
"sky" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian mythology Rangi or Ranginui was a god of the sky, husband of the earth goddess
Papa. They were locked in a crushing embrace but were eventually separated by their children, the other gods.
Ranjit m Hindi, Marathi, BengaliMeans
"coloured, pleased, delighted" in Sanskrit. A famous bearer was Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the founder of a Sikh kingdom that covered most of the Punjab and Kashmir.
Raphael m German, English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafa'el) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa') meaning "to heal" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
... [more] Rareș m RomanianMeaning uncertain, possibly from Romanian
rar meaning
"sparse, rare". This name was borne by Petru Rareș, a 16th-century ruler of Moldavia, whose second name was adopted from a nickname of his mother's husband.
Rashid m ArabicMeans
"rightly guided" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الرشيد (al-Rashid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
... [more] Rashn m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
𐬭𐬀𐬱𐬥𐬎 (Rashnu) meaning
"just, straight". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata who judged the souls of the dead.
Ratko m Croatian, SerbianOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Ratomir m SerbianDerived from the Slavic elements
ortĭ (Serbo-Croatian
rat) meaning "war, battle" and
mirŭ meaning "peace, world".
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.
Ravi m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Odia, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliMeans
"sun" in Sanskrit. Ravi is a Hindu god of the sun, sometimes equated with
Surya. A famous bearer was the musician Ravi Shankar (1920-2012).
Ravid m & f HebrewMeans
"ornament, necklace" in Hebrew.
Ravil m TatarMeaning unknown, possibly of Arabic origin.
Ray m EnglishShort form of
Raymond, often used as an independent name. It coincides with an English word meaning "beam of light". Science-fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) and musician Ray Charles (1930-2004) are two notable bearers of the name.
Raymond m English, FrenchFrom the Germanic name
Raginmund, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
munt "protection". The Normans introduced this name to England in the form
Reimund. It was borne by several medieval (mostly Spanish) saints, including Saint Raymond Nonnatus, the patron of midwives and expectant mothers, and Saint Raymond of Peñafort, the patron of canonists.
Rayner m English (Archaic)From the Germanic name
Raginheri, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
heri "army". Saint Rainerius was a 12th-century hermit from Pisa. The Normans brought this name to England where it came into general use, though it was rare by the end of the Middle Ages.
Rayyan m & f ArabicMeans
"watered, luxuriant" in Arabic. According to Islamic tradition this is the name of one of the gates of paradise.
Răzvan m RomanianMeaning unknown, possibly related to the name
Radovan. Alternatively it may have been brought to Romania by the Romani people (note that Romanian and Romani are unrelated), perhaps ultimately from
Rizwan.
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] Red m EnglishFrom the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English
read. It was originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Reed m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
read meaning
"red", originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Unconnected, this is also the English word for tall grass-like plants that grow in marshes.
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.
Régis m FrenchFrom a French surname meaning
"ruler" in Occitan. This name is often given in honour of Saint Jean-François Régis (1597-1640), a French Jesuit priest.
Regulus m Ancient Roman, AstronomyRoman cognomen meaning
"prince, little king", a diminutive of Latin
rex "king". This was the cognomen of several 3rd-century BC consuls from the gens Atilia. It was also the name of several early saints. A star in the constellation Leo bears this name as well.
Rehoboam m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
רֵחַבְעָם (Rechav'am) meaning
"he enlarges the people". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Solomon. He succeeded his father as king of Israel, but his subjects eventually revolted because of high taxes. This resulted in the division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah, with Rehoboam ruling Judah.
Reidar m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Hreiðarr, which was derived from the elements
hreiðr "nest, home" and
herr "army, warrior".
Reilly m & f English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Raghailligh, derived from the given name
Raghailleach, meaning unknown.