Ruaidhrí m IrishFrom Old Irish
Ruaidrí meaning
"red king", from
rúad "red" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of the last high king of Ireland, reigning in the 12th century.
Ruarc m IrishFrom Old Irish
Ruarcc. It was possibly an early borrowing from the Old Norse name
Hrǿríkr. Alternatively it might be derived from Old Irish elements such as
rúad "red" and
arg "hero, champion". This was the name of a 9th-century king of Leinster.
Rubens m Portuguese (Brazilian)Possibly from Latin
rubens "being red", participle of
rubeo "to be red". It may also be inspired by the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).
Rudolf m German, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Dutch, Russian, ArmenianFrom the Germanic name
Hrodulf, which was derived from the elements
hruod meaning "fame" and
wolf meaning "wolf". It was borne by three kings of Burgundy and a king of West Francia, as well as several Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria. Anthony Hope used this name for the hero in his popular novel
The Prisoner of Zenda (1894).
Rudolph m EnglishEnglish form of
Rudolf, imported from Germany in the 19th century. Robert L. May used it in 1939 for his Christmas character Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Rudyard m English (Rare)From a place name meaning
"red yard" in Old English. This name was borne by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), the author of
The Jungle Book and other works, who was named after Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire.
Rufus m Ancient Roman, English, BiblicalRoman cognomen meaning
"red-haired" in Latin. Several early saints had this name, including one mentioned in one of
Paul's epistles in the New Testament. As a nickname it was used by William II Rufus, a king of England, because of his red hair. It came into general use in the English-speaking world after the Protestant Reformation.
Ruggiero m Italian, Carolingian CycleItalian form of
Roger. This is the name of a Saracen knight in the epic poems
Orlando Innamorato (1483) by Matteo Maria Boiardo and
Orlando Furioso (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto, as well as several operas based on the poems. In the tales Ruggiero is a noble opponent of
Orlando who falls in love with the female knight
Bradamante.
Rumpelstiltskin m LiteratureFrom German
Rumpelstilzchen, possibly from German
rumpeln meaning "make noise" and
Stelze meaning "stilt", combined with the diminutive suffix
-chen. It has been suggested that it was inspired by a children's game
Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart mentioned in Johann Fischart's 1577 book
Geschichtklitterung. This name was used by the Brothers Grimm in an 1812 fairy tale about a magical little man (Rumpelstiltskin) who saves a miller's daughter in exchange for her firstborn child. In order to undo the deal, she must guess the man's name. The Grimm's story was based upon earlier European folktales (which have various names for the little man).
Runar m NorwegianDerived from the Old Norse elements
rún "secret lore, rune" and
herr "army, warrior". This name did not exist in Old Norse, but was created in the modern era.
Rupert m German, EnglishGerman variant form of
Robert, from the Old German variant
Hrodperht. It was borne by the 7th century Saint Rupert of Salzburg and the 8th-century Saint Rupert of Bingen. The military commander Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a nephew of Charles I, introduced this name to England in the 17th century. A notable bearer is the Australian-American businessman Rupert Murdoch (1931-).
Rupinder m & f Indian (Sikh)Means
"greatest beauty" from Sanskrit
रूप (rupa) meaning "beauty, form" combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "greatest".
Rushd m ArabicMeans
"following the right path" in Arabic, from the root
رشد (rashada) meaning "to be on the right path".
Ruslan m Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen, Azerbaijani, Ossetian, Chechen, Ingush, Avar, Circassian, Indonesian, MalayForm of
Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem
Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales of Yeruslan Lazarevich.
Russell m EnglishFrom an English surname, of Norman origin, meaning
"little red one" (a diminutive of Old French
rous "red"). A notable bearer of the surname was the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), who wrote on many subjects including logic, epistemology and mathematics. He was also a political activist for causes such as pacifism and women's rights.
... [more] Rusticus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen derived from Latin
rusticus meaning
"rural, rustic", a derivative of
rus meaning "open land, countryside". This name was borne by several early saints.
Rusty m EnglishFrom a nickname that was originally given to someone with a rusty, or reddish-brown, hair colour.
Ruud m DutchDutch short form of
Rudolf. This name is borne by retired Dutch soccer player Ruud Gullit (1962-).
Ruy m Portuguese, SpanishMedieval Portuguese and Spanish short form of
Rodrigo. It is another name of the 11th-century Spanish military commander Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, also known as El Cid.
Ry m & f EnglishShort form of
Ryan and other names beginning with
Ry.
Ryan m EnglishFrom a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of
Ó Riain. This patronymic derives from the given name
Rian, which is of uncertain meaning. It is traditionally said to mean
"little king", from Irish
rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.
... [more] Ryder m English (Modern)From an English occupational surname derived from Old English
ridere meaning
"mounted warrior" or
"messenger". It has grown in popularity in the 2000s because it starts with the same sound found in other popular names like
Ryan and
Riley.
Ryker m English (Modern)Possibly a variant of the German surname
Riker, a derivative of Low German
rike "rich". As a modern English name, it has become popular because it shares the same trendy sounds found in other names such as
Ryan and
Ryder.
Ryland m English (Modern)From an English surname, which was originally derived from a place name meaning
"rye land" in Old English.
Ryo m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
亮 or
涼 or
遼 or
諒 (see
Ryō).
Ryō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
亮 (ryō) meaning "clear",
涼 (ryō) meaning "cool, refreshing",
遼 (ryō) meaning "distant" or
諒 (ryō) meaning "reality", as well as other kanji that have the same pronunciation.
Ryōichi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
良 (ryō) meaning "good" or
亮 (ryō) meaning "clear" combined with
一 (ichi) meaning "one". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Ryōsuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
亮 (ryō) meaning "clear" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "help, assist". Other combinations of kanji having the same reading can also form this name.
Ryōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
涼 (ryō) meaning "cool, refreshing",
亮 (ryō) meaning "clear" or
良 (ryō) meaning "good" combined with
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.
Ryou m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
亮 or
涼 or
遼 or
諒 (see
Ryō).
Ryū m JapaneseFrom Japanese
竜 or 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon", as well as other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Ryūji m JapaneseFrom Japanese
竜 or 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon" or
隆 (ryū) meaning "noble, prosperous" combined with
二 (ji) meaning "two" or
司 (ji) meaning "officer, boss". This name can also be formed using other kanji combinations.
Ryūnosuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
竜 or 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon" or
隆 (ryū) meaning "noble, prosperous" combined with
之 (no), a possessive marker, and
介 (suke) meaning "help, assist". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Ryuuji m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
竜二 or
龍二 or
隆二 or
竜司 or
龍司 or
隆司 or
竜次 or
龍次 or
竜児 or
龍児 (see
Ryūji).