Names Starting with R

gender
usage
Ra m Egyptian Mythology
From 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.
Raabi'a f Arabic
Means "fourth" in Arabic. This name was borne by an 8th-century Sufi mystic from Basra in Iraq.
Raakel f Finnish
Finnish form of Rachel.
Raanan m Hebrew
Means "fresh, invigorating" in Hebrew.
Rab m Scots
Scots short form of Robert.
Rabab f Arabic
Variant of Rubab.
Raban m Germanic
Variant of Hraban.
Rabbie m Scots
Scots diminutive of Robert. This is the familar name of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
Rabi 1 m Arabic
Means "springtime" in Arabic.
Rabi 2 m Bengali
Bengali variant of Ravi.
Rabi'a f Arabic
Feminine form of Rabi 1. This can also be another way of transcribing the name رابعة (see Raabi'a).
Rabia f Turkish
Turkish form of Raabi'a or Rabi'a.
Rabindra m Bengali
Bengali form of Ravindra.
Rabiu m Western African, Hausa
From Arabic رابع (rabi') meaning "fourth", sometimes added to a given name to indicate the fourth sibling bearing it.
Rachael f English
Variant of Rachel, the spelling probably influenced by that of Michael.
Rachana f Indian, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Nepali
Means "creation, preparation" in Sanskrit.
Racheal f English
Variant of Rachel.
Rachel f English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew
From the Hebrew name רָחֵל (Rachel) meaning "ewe". In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of Jacob. Her father Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.... [more]
Rachele f Italian
Italian form of Rachel.
Rachelle f English, French
Variant of Rachel. In the English-speaking world it has likely been influenced by the spelling of Rochelle.
Rachid m Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic رشيد or راشد (see Rashid) chiefly used in Northern Africa.
Rachida f Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic رشيدة or راشدة (see Rashida) chiefly used in Northern Africa.
Rachna f Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi रचना (see Rachana).
Racław m Polish (Archaic)
Polish short form of Ratislav or Radosław.
Racquel f English
Variant of Raquel.
Ra'd m Arabic
Means "thunder" in Arabic. This is the name of the 13th chapter of the Quran (surah ar-Rad).
Rada f Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian
Derived from the Slavic element rad meaning "happy, willing".
Radana f Czech
Derived from the Slavic element rad meaning "happy, willing".
Radbod m Germanic
Old German form of Radboud.
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.
Radclyffe m English (Rare)
From a surname, a variant of Radcliff.
Rade m Serbian, Croatian
Originally a diminutive of Milorad and other Slavic names containing the element rad meaning "happy, willing".
Radek m Czech, Polish
Diminutive of Slavic names beginning with rad meaning "happy, willing".
Radha f & m Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi
Means "success, prosperity" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the favourite consort of the Hindu god Krishna. She is associated with beauty and compassion, and is considered an avatar of Lakshmi.
Radim m Czech
Short form of Radomir.
Radimir m Russian (Rare)
Russian variant form of Radomir.
Radina f Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Radana.
Radinka f Serbian
Diminutive of Radmila.
Radka f Czech, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Radko.
Radko m Bulgarian, Czech
Diminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element rad meaning "happy, willing".
Radmila f Serbian, Croatian, Czech
Serbian, Croatian and Czech feminine form of Radomil.
Radmilo m Serbian
Serbian form of Radomil.
Radmir m Russian
Russian form of Radomir.
Radobod m Germanic
Old German form of Radboud.
Radojka f Serbian, Croatian
Derived from the Slavic element rad meaning "happy, willing".
Radomil m Czech, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic elements rad "happy, willing" and milu "gracious, dear".
Radomił m Polish (Rare)
Polish form of Radomil.
Radomiła f Polish (Rare)
Polish feminine form of Radomil.
Radomila f Czech (Rare)
Feminine form of Radomil.
Radomír m Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak form of Radomir.
Radomir m Serbian, Bulgarian, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic element rad "happy, willing" combined with meru "great, famous" or miru "peace, world".
Radomíra f Czech
Czech feminine form of Radomir.
Radomira f Serbian
Feminine form of Radomir.
Radoš m Czech
Short form of Radoslav, Radomir and other names beginning with the Slavic element rad meaning "happy, willing".
Radosław m Polish
Derived from the Slavic elements rad "happy, willing" and slava "glory".
Radovan m Slovak, Czech, Serbian, Croatian, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic element rad "happy, willing" combined with another element of unknown meaning.
Radu m Romanian
Old Romanian diminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element rad "happy, willing". This was the name of a 13th-century ruler of Wallachia.
Radulf m Germanic
Derived 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 the Czech word rád "happy, glad". The Czech author Julius Zeyer probably created it for a character in his play Radúz and Mahulena (1898).
Rae f English
Short form of Rachel. It can also be used as a feminine form of Ray.
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 Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).
Raelene f English (Rare)
Combination of Rae and the popular name suffix lene.
Raelyn f English (Modern)
Combination of Rae and the popular name suffix lyn.
Raelynn f English (Modern)
Combination of Rae and the popular name suffix lyn.
Raewyn f English (New Zealand)
Combination of Rae and Wyn (used especially in New Zealand).
Raf m Dutch
Short form of Rafaël.
Rafa m Spanish
Spanish short form of Rafael.
Rafa'el m Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Raphael. This name does not appear in any surviving Hebrew text of the Old Testament Apocrypha.
Rafaël m Dutch
Dutch form of Raphael.
Rafael m Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Hebrew
Form of Raphael in various languages. A famous bearer is the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (1986-).
Rafaela f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Raphael.
Rafahel m Biblical Latin
Form of Raphael used in the Latin Old Testament.
Rafail m Greek, Russian
Greek and Russian form of Raphael.
Rafał m Polish
Polish form of Raphael.
Rafayel m Armenian
Armenian form of Raphael.
Rafe m English
Variant of Ralph. This form became common during the 17th century, reflecting the usual pronunciation.
Raffael m German (Rare)
German variant of Raphael.
Raffaela f German (Rare)
German feminine form of Raphael.
Raffaele m Italian
Italian form of Raphael.
Raffaella f Italian
Italian feminine form of Raphael.
Raffaello m Italian
Italian form of Raphael.
Rafferty m English
From an Irish surname, itself derived from the given name Rabhartach meaning "flood tide".
Rafinha m Portuguese
Portuguese diminutive of Rafael.
Rafiq m Arabic, Azerbaijani, Urdu
Means either "friend" or "gentle" in Arabic.
Rafiqa f Arabic
Feminine form of Rafiq.
Ragemprand m Germanic
Old German form of Rembrandt.
Raghnaid f Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Ragnhild.
Raghnall m Irish, Scottish Gaelic
Irish and Scottish Gaelic form of Ragnvaldr.
Raghu m Hinduism, Indian, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam
Means "swift" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a heroic king in Hindu epics, the great-grandfather of Rama. It is also mentioned as the name of a son of Buddha in Buddhist texts.
Raginaharjaz m Old Germanic (Hypothetical)
Proto-Germanic reconstruction of Raginheri and Ragnarr.
Raginahildiz f Old Germanic (Hypothetical)
Proto-Germanic reconstruction of Raginhild and Ragnhildr.
Raginald m Germanic
Old German form of Reynold.
Raginawaldaz m Old Germanic (Hypothetical)
Proto-Germanic reconstruction of Raginald and Ragnvaldr.
Raginbert m Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements regin "advice, counsel, decision" and beraht "bright". This was the name of an 8th-century Lombard king.
Raginhard m Germanic
Old German form of Reynard.
Raginheri m Germanic
Old German form of Rayner.
Raginhild f Germanic
Old German form of Reinhild.
Raginmar m Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements regin "counsel, advice, decision" and mari "famous".
Raginmund m Germanic
Old German form of Raymond.
Raginolf m Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements regin "advice, counsel, decision" and wolf "wolf".
Ragna f Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Old Norse
Short form of Old Norse names beginning with the element regin "advice, counsel".
Ragnailt f Medieval Irish
Medieval Irish form of Ragnhild.
Ragnall m Medieval Irish
Medieval Irish form of Ragnvaldr.
Ragnar m Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Estonian
Modern Scandinavian form of Ragnarr.
Ragnarr m Old Norse
From the Old Norse elements regin "advice, counsel" and herr "army, warrior". It is a cognate of Rayner.
Ragnbjǫrg f Old Norse
Old Norse name derived from the elements regin "advice, counsel" and bjǫrg "help, save, rescue".
Ragnfríðr f Old Norse
Old Norse form of Randi 2.
Ragnheiðr f Old Norse
Old Norse name meaning "bright advice", derived from the elements regin "advice, counsel" and heiðr "bright, clear".
Ragnheiður f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Ragnheiðr.
Ragnhild f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From the Old Norse name Ragnhildr, composed of the elements regin "advice, counsel" and hildr "battle" (a cognate of Reinhild).
Ragnhildr f Old Norse
Old Norse form of Ragnhild.
Ragnhildur f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Ragnhild.
Ragnvald m Norwegian, Swedish
Modern Scandinavian form of Ragnvaldr.
Ragnvaldr m Old Norse
Old Norse name composed of the elements regin "advice, counsel" and valdr "ruler" (making it a cognate of Reynold).
Raguel m Biblical, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
From Latin Raguhel, a scriptural variant of Reuel. This appears in some versions of the Old Testament at Exodus 2:18 as another name of Jethro, while other translations use Reuel. There is an archangel by this name mentioned in the apocryphal Book of Enoch.
Raguhel m Biblical Latin
Form of Reuel used in parts of the Latin Old Testament.
Rahab f Biblical
Means "spacious" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a woman of Jericho who helped the Israelites capture the city.
Raharjo m Javanese
Means "plentiful, abundant" in Javanese.
Rahat m & f Arabic, Urdu
Means "rest, comfort" in Arabic.
Raheem m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic رحيم (see Rahim).
Ráhel f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Rachel.
Rahel f Biblical Latin, German
Biblical Latin form of Rachel, as well as a German form.
Rahela f Romanian, Croatian, Serbian
Romanian, Croatian and Serbian form of Rachel.
Rahim m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pashto
Means "kind, compassionate" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الرحيم (al-Rahim) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Rahima f Arabic, Bengali
Feminine form of Rahim.
Rahma f Arabic, Indonesian
Means "mercy, compassion" in Arabic.
Rəhman m Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Rahman.
Rahman m Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Indonesian, Malay, Bengali
Means "merciful" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الرحمٰن (al-Rahman) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Rahmatollah m Persian
Persian form of Rahmatullah.
Rahmatullah m Arabic, Pashto
Means "mercy of Allah", derived from Arabic رحمة (rahmah) meaning "mercy" combined with الله (Allah).
Rahmi m Turkish
Means "merciful" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic.
Rahul m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu
Possibly means "able, efficient" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a son of Gautama Buddha.
Raibeart m Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Robert.
Ráichéal f Irish
Irish form of Rachel.
Raiden m Japanese Mythology
From Japanese (rai) meaning "thunder" and (den) meaning "lightning". This is a regional epithet of the Japanese god Raijin.
Raijin m Japanese Mythology
From Japanese (rai) meaning "thunder" and (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of thunder and storms in the mythology of Japan.
Raimo m Finnish
Finnish form of Raymond.
Raimon m Catalan
Catalan variant form of Raymond.
Raimond m Estonian
Estonian form of Raymond.
Raimonda f Italian
Italian feminine form of Raymond.
Raimondas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Raymond.
Raimondo m Italian
Italian form of Raymond.
Raimonds m Latvian
Latvian form of Raymond.
Raimund m German, Germanic
German form of Raymond.
Raimunde f German (Rare)
German feminine form of Raymond.
Raimundo m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Raymond.
Rain 1 f & m English (Rare)
Simply from the English word rain, derived from Old English regn.
Rain 2 m Estonian
Variant of Rein.
Raina f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Райна (see Rayna 1).
Rainard m Germanic
Variant of Reynard.
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)
Possibly based on the French word reine meaning "queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it can also be used as a variant of Rain 1 or a short form of Lorraine.
Rainer m German, Germanic
German form of Rayner.
Rainerio m Spanish (Rare)
Spanish form of Rayner.
Rainier m French (Rare)
French form of Rayner.
Rais m Arabic
Means "leader, chief" in Arabic.
Raisa 1 f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Probably a Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Herais.
Raisa 2 f Yiddish
From Yiddish רויז (roiz) meaning "rose".
Raisa 3 f Arabic
Feminine form of Rais.
Raisel f Yiddish (Rare)
Diminutive of Raisa 2.
Raissa f Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Portuguese form of Herais, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Раиса, Ukrainian Раїса or Belarusian Раіса (see Raisa 1).
Raivo m Estonian
Meaning uncertain. It is possibly a diminutive of Raimond or it could be related to the Old Estonian word raivo meaning "fury, rage".
Raj m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "empire, royalty", from Sanskrit राज्य (rajya).
Raja 1 f Arabic
Means "hope" in Arabic.
Raja 2 m Urdu, Tamil, Indian, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Indonesian
Means "king, ruler", from Sanskrit राजन् (rajan).
Rajab m Arabic
From the name of the seventh month in the Islamic calendar, derived from Arabic رجب (rajaba) meaning "respect, awe".
Rajabu m Eastern African, Swahili
Swahili form of Rajab.
Rajani f & m Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Nepali
Means "the dark one" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Kali or Durga.
Rajaram m Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means "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.
Rajeev m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali राजीव, Malayalam രാജീവ് or Tamil ராஜிவ் (see Rajiv).
Rajender m Indian, Hindi
Alternate transcription of Hindi राजेन्द्र (see Rajendra).
Rajendra m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Nepali
Means "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 Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "ruler of kings" from Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king" and ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler".
Rajib m Bengali
Bengali form of Rajiv.
Rajinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
Variant of Rajendra used by Sikhs.
Rajiv m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Means "striped" in Sanskrit. This is used to refer to the blue lotus in Hindu texts.
Rajiya f Arabic
Means "hopeful" in Arabic.
Rajko m Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Derived from South Slavic raj meaning "paradise".
Rajkumari f Indian, Hindi
Means "princess" in Sanskrit.
Rajmund m Polish, Hungarian, Slovene
Polish, Hungarian and Slovene form of Raymond.
Rajneesh m Indian, Hindi
Alternate transcription of Hindi रजनीश (see Rajnish).
Rajni f Indian, Hindi
Means "queen" in Sanskrit.
Rajnish m Indian, Hindi
Means "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.
Rajya f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic رجية (see Rajiya).
Rakel f Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic
Scandinavian form of Rachel.
Rakesh m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
Means "lord of the full moon" from Sanskrit राका (raka) meaning "full moon" and ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler".
Rakhi f Indian, Hindi
From a word for a type of ritual wristband, ultimately from Sanskrit रक्षा (raksha).
Raleigh m & f English
From 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 Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618).
Ralfs m Latvian
Latvian form of Ralph.
Ralitsa f Bulgarian
Means "larkspur (flower)" in Bulgarian.
Ralph m English, German, Swedish
Contracted 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.
Ralphie m English
Diminutive of Ralph.
Raluca f Romanian
Romanian 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.
Ram 1 m Biblical
Means "exalted" in Hebrew. This was a son of Hezron in the Old Testament.
Ram 3 m Persian Mythology
Persian form of Raman 2.
Rama 1 m Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam
Means "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]
Rama 2 f Hinduism
Means "wife" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the goddess Lakshmi.
Ramachandra m Hinduism, Indian, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil
Derived from the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1 combined with Sanskrit चन्द्र (chandra) meaning "moon". This is another name of Rama.
Ramadan m Arabic
From 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.
Ramadevi f Indian, Hindi
From the name of the Hindu goddess Rama 2 (referring to Lakshmi) combined with Sanskrit देवी (devi) meaning "goddess".
Ramakanta m Hinduism, Indian, Odia
Means "desired of Rama", from Rama 2 (a name of Lakshmi) combined with Sanskrit कान्त (kanta) meaning "desired, beloved". This name refers to Lakshmi's husband Vishnu.
Ramakrishna m Indian, Telugu, Kannada
Combination 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 Mythology
Means "peace" in Avestan. In Zoroastrianism, this is the name of a Yazata (a holy being) who presides over joy.
Raman 3 m Belarusian
Belarusian form of Roman.
Raman 4 m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi
Northern Indian form of Ramana.
Ramana m Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Tamil
Derived from Sanskrit रमण (ramana) meaning "pleasing, delightful". This is an epithet of the solar god Aruna.
Ramaz m Georgian
Possibly a Georgian form of Ramadan. It appears in the 12th-century Georgian epic The Knight in the Panther's Skin.
Ramazan m Turkish, Azerbaijani, Avar, Kazakh, Circassian, Albanian
Form of Ramadan in several languages.
Ramazi m Georgian
Form of Ramaz with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.
Rambabu m Indian, Telugu
Means "father Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1 combined with Telugu బాబు (babu) meaning "father".
Rambert m Germanic
Variant of Raginbert. Saint Rambert, also called Ragnebert, was martyred near Lyon in the 7th century. There seems to be some confusion with the name Hrambert.
Ramchandra m Indian, Marathi
Form of Ramachandra more common in northern India.
Ramdas m Indian, Marathi, Hindi
Means "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.
Ramesha m Hinduism
Means "husband of Lakshmi", derived from Rama 2, a name of Lakshmi, combined with ईश (isha) meaning "ruler, husband". This is one of the names of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Rameshvara m Hinduism
Means "lord of Rama", derived from the name of the Hindu god Rama 1 combined with Sanskrit ईश्वर (ishvara) meaning "lord, god". This is another name for the Hindu god Shiva.
Rameshwar m Indian, Hindi
Modern form of Rameshvara.
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).
Ramessu m Ancient Egyptian (Hypothetical)
Reconstructed Egyptian form of Ramesses.
Ramiel m Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Possibly from Hebrew רָעמִיאֵל (Rami'el) meaning "thunder of God". The Book of Enoch names him as an archangel. He is often identified with Jeremiel.
Ramil m Tatar, Bashkir, Azerbaijani
Derived from Arabic رمْل (raml) meaning "sand, geomancy, divination, magic".
Ramin m Persian, Azerbaijani
Derived 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, Portuguese
Spanish 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.
Ramirus m Gothic (Latinized)
Latinized (Old Spanish) form of *Ranamers or possibly *Raginamers (see Ramiro).
Ramiz m Arabic, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Albanian
Means "symbolize, sign" in Arabic.
Ramkrishna m Bengali, Indian, Marathi
Form of Ramakrishna more common in northern India.
Ramla f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic رملة (see Ramlah).
Ramlah f Arabic, Malay
Means "sand" in Arabic. This was the name of one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad.
Ramón m Spanish
Spanish form of Raymond.
Ramon m Catalan
Catalan form of Raymond.
Ramóna f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Ramona.
Ramona f Spanish, Romanian, English
Feminine 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.
Ramprasad m Bengali, Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means "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 18th-century Bengali poet Ramprasad Sen.
Ramsay m Scottish
From a surname that was a variant of Ramsey.
Ramsey m English
From an English and Scottish surname that was derived from a place name meaning "garlic island" in Old English.
Ramūnas m Lithuanian
Derived from Lithuanian ramus meaning "calm, peaceful" combined with the patronymic suffix ūnas.
Ramunė f Lithuanian
Means "chamomile (plant)" in Lithuanian.
Ramzan m Chechen, Urdu
Chechen and Urdu form of Ramadan.
Rán f Norse Mythology
Means "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 Japanese
From Japanese (ran) meaning "orchid" or other kanji pronounced in the same way.
Ra'na f Persian
Means "beautiful, attractive" in Persian.
Rana 1 f Arabic
Means "eye-catching object" from Arabic رنا (rana) meaning "to gaze".
Rana 2 m Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali
From the Sanskrit title राणा (rana) meaning "king".
Rana 3 f Persian
Alternate transcription of Persian رعنا (see Ra'na).
Ranald m Scottish
Anglicized form of Raghnall.
Ranamers m Gothic (Hypothetical)
Possible Gothic form of Ramiro.
Randa f Arabic
Means "scented tree" in Arabic.
Randal m English
Variant of Randall.
Randall m English
From an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name Randel.
Randel m Medieval English
Medieval diminutive of Randolf and other names beginning with the Germanic element rant meaning "rim (of a shield)".
Randell m English
Variant of Randall.
Randi 1 f English
Diminutive of Miranda.
Randi 2 f Norwegian, Danish
Modern form of the Old Norse name Ragnfríðr, which was derived from regin "advice, counsel" and fríðr "beautiful, beloved".
Randolf m English
From 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).
Randolph m English
Variant of Randolf. This spelling was adopted in the 18th century.
Randulf m Germanic
Old German form of Randolf.
Randúlfr m Old Norse
Old Norse form of Randolf.
Randy m & f English
Diminutive of Randall, Randolf or Miranda.
Rangi m Maori, Polynesian Mythology
Means "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.
Rani 1 f Indian, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi
Means "queen" in Sanskrit.
Rani 2 m & f Hebrew
From Hebrew רַן (ran) meaning "to sing".
Raniero m Italian
Italian form of Rayner.
Raniya f Arabic
Means "looking at", derived from Arabic رنا (rana) meaning "to gaze".
Ranjeet m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Hindi रणजीत or रंजीत, Marathi रणजित or रणजीत or Bengali রঞ্জিত (see Ranjit).
Ranjit m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
Means "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.
Ranka f Croatian
Feminine form of Ranko.
Ranko m Serbian, Croatian
Derived from the Slavic word ранъ (ranu) meaning "early".
Ra'no f Uzbek
Uzbek form of Ra'na.
Ransu m Finnish (Rare)
Finnish form of Franciscus (see Francis).
Ranulf m Medieval English
Medieval English form of Raginolf. Norman settlers and invaders introduced this name to England and Scotland.
Ranya f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic رانية (see Raniya).
Raoul m French, Italian
French form of Radulf (see Ralph).
Raphaël m French
French form of Raphael.
Raphael m German, English, Biblical
From 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]
Raphaela f German
Feminine form of Raphael.
Raphaëlle f French
French feminine form of Raphael.
Rapunzel f Literature
From 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).