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).
Roosevelt m EnglishFrom a Dutch surname meaning
"rose field". This name is often given in honour of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) or Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).
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. A famous bearer was 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).
Roscoe m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally derived from a place name, itself derived from Old Norse
rá "roebuck" and
skógr "wood, forest".
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.
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.
Rosendo m SpanishSpanish form of the Visigothic name *
Hroþisinþs, composed of the Gothic elements
hroþs "fame" and
sinþs "time". This was the name of a 10th-century Galician saint, also known as Rudesind.
Rosina f ItalianItalian diminutive of
Rosa 1. This is the name of a character in Rossini's opera
The Barber of Seville (1816).
Ross m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish and English surname that originally indicated a person from a place called
Ross (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), derived from Gaelic
ros meaning "promontory, headland". A famous bearer of the surname was Sir James Clark Ross (1800-1862), an Antarctic explorer.
Rostam m Persian, Persian MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly from Iranian roots *
rautas "river" and *
taxma "strong". Rostam was a warrior hero in Persian legend. The 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi recorded his tale in the
Shahnameh.
Roswell m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning
"horse spring".
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 derived from Hebrew
רְתֹם (retom) meaning "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 (1502-1558), also known by the name 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.
Roy m Scottish, English, DutchAnglicized form of
Ruadh. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French
roi "king".
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".
Royce m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name
Royse, a variant of
Rose.
Roydon m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"rye hill", from Old English
ryge "rye" and
dun "hill".
Royle m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"rye hill" from Old English
ryge "rye" and
hyll "hill".
Royston m English (British)From a surname that was originally taken from an Old English place name meaning
"town of Royse". The given name
Royse was a medieval variant of
Rose.
Roza 2 f GermanicOld German short form of feminine names beginning with the Old Frankish element
hroþi, 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.
Ruadh m Medieval Irish, Medieval ScottishIrish and Scottish Gaelic byname meaning
"red", often a nickname for one with red hair. This was the nickname of the Scottish outlaw Raibeart Ruadh MacGregor (1671-1734), known as Rob Roy in English.
Ruadhán m IrishFrom Old Irish
Rúadán, derived from
rúad "red" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of the founder of the monastery of Lorrha in the 6th century.
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.
Rubab f ArabicFrom 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".
Rubens m Portuguese (Brazilian)Possibly from Latin
rubens "being red", participle of
rubeo "to be red". It may also be inspired by the 17th-century Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens.
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.
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.
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.
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 ItalianItalian 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.
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 folk tales (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.
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".
Ruqayyah f ArabicDerived either from Arabic
رقى (ruqia) meaning
"rise, ascent" or from
رقية (ruqyah) meaning
"spell, charm, incantation". 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.
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.
Rusnė f LithuanianFrom the name of an island in the Neman River delta in southwestern Lithuania.
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.
Rusudan f GeorgianPossibly derived from Persian
روز (ruz) 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.
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.
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 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
涼 or
遼 or
諒 (see
Ryō).
Ryō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
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.