RICHARD m English, French, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Ancient GermanicMeans
"brave ruler", derived from the Germanic elements
ric "ruler, mighty" and
hard "brave, hardy". The Normans introduced this name to Britain, and it has been very common there since that time. It was borne by three kings of England including Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade in the 12th century.
... [more] RIDGE m English (Modern)From the English vocabulary word denoting a continous elevated mountain crest, or from the English surname derived from the word.
RIDHA m ArabicMeans
"satisfaction, contentment" in Arabic. This name was borne by Ali al-Ridha, a 9th-century Shia imam.
RIDLEY m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from various English place names meaning
"reed clearing" or
"channel clearing" in Old English.
RIGBY m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"ridge farm" in Old Norse.
RIGEL m AstronomyDerived from Arabic
الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning
"foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.
RIKU (2) m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陸 (riku) meaning "land" or different kanji that are pronounced the same way.
RIKUTO m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陸 (riku) meaning "land" combined with
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or
人 (to) meaning "person", as well as other combinations of kanji that have the same pronunciations.
RILEY m & f EnglishFrom a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of
REILLY. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning
"rye clearing" in Old English.
RIMANTAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
rimti meaning "to calm" and
mantus meaning "intelligent".
RIN f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
凛 (rin) meaning "dignified, severe, cold" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
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.
RÍOGHNÁN m IrishFrom Irish
rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.
RIPLEY f & m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from the name of various English towns, from Old English
ripel "strip of land" and
leah "clearing". A famous fictional bearer was the character Ellen Ripley (usually only called by her surname) from the
Alien series of movies, beginning 1979.
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".
ROALD m NorwegianModern form of the Old Norse name
Hróðvaldr or
Hróaldr, composed of the elements
hróðr "fame" and
valdr "ruler". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) and the British children's author Roald Dahl (1916-1990), who was born to Norwegian parents.
ROBERT m English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Romanian, Catalan, Ancient GermanicFrom the Germanic name
Hrodebert meaning
"bright fame", derived from the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to Britain, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Hreodbeorht. It has been consistently among the most common English names from the 13th to 20th century. In the United States it was the most popular name for boys between 1924 and 1939 (and again in 1953).
... [more] ROBERTO m Italian, Spanish, PortugueseItalian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
ROBERT. Saint Roberto Bellarmine was a 16th-century cardinal who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. Another famous bearer was Roberto de Nobili, a Jesuit missionary to India in the 17th century.
ROBIN m & f English, French, Dutch, SwedishMedieval 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.
ROCCO m Italian, Ancient GermanicGermanic name derived from the element
hrok meaning
"rest". This was the name of a 14th-century French saint who nursed victims of the plague but eventually contracted the disease himself. He is the patron saint of the sick.
ROCKY m EnglishDiminutive of
ROCCO and other names beginning with a similar sound, or else a nickname referring to a tough person. This is the name of a boxer played by Sylvester Stallone in the movie
Rocky (1976) and its five sequels.
RODERICK m English, Scottish, WelshMeans
"famous ruler" from the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
ric "ruler, mighty". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (also known as Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Sir Walter Scott's 1811 poem
The Vision of Don Roderick.
RODNEY m EnglishFrom a surname, originally derived from a place name, which meant "Hroda's island" in Old English (where
Hroda is a Germanic given name meaning "fame"). It was first used as a given name in honour of the British admiral Lord Rodney (1719-1792).
ROGELIO m SpanishSpanish form of the Late Latin name
Rogelius, which was possibly derived from the name
Rogatus, which was itself derived from Latin
rogatus "request".
ROGER m English, French, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, German, DutchMeans
"famous spear" from the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
ger "spear". The Normans brought this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Hroðgar (the name of the Danish king in the Anglo-Saxon epic
Beowulf). It was a common name in England during the Middle Ages. By the 18th century it was rare, but it was revived in following years. The name was borne by the Norman lords Roger I, who conquered Sicily in the 11th century, and his son Roger II, who ruled Sicily as a king.
ROKURŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
六 (roku) meaning "six" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This name was traditionally given to the sixth son. Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
ROLAND m English, French, German, Swedish, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Medieval FrenchFrom the Germanic elements
hrod meaning "fame" and
landa meaning "land", though some theories hold that the second element was originally
nand meaning "brave". Roland was a semi-legendary French hero whose story is told in the medieval epic
La Chanson de Roland, in which he is a nephew of
Charlemagne killed in battle with the Saracens. The Normans introduced this name to England.
ROLF m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Hrolf (or its Old Norse cognate
Hrólfr), a contracted form of
Hrodulf (see
RUDOLF). The Normans introduced this name to England but it soon became rare. In the modern era it has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world as a German import.
ROLLO m EnglishLatinized form of
Roul, the Old French form of
ROLF. Rollo (or Rolf) the Ganger was an exiled Viking who, in the 10th century, became the first Duke of Normandy. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
ROMEO m Italian, RomanianItalian and Romanian form of the Late Latin
Romaeus or Late Greek
Ρωμαῖος (Romaios), which meant
"from ROME" or
"Roman". In medieval Italian this meant
"a pilgrim to Rome". Romeo is best known as the lover of
Juliet in Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet (1596).
RONALD m Scottish, English, Dutch, GermanScottish form of
RAGNVALDR, a name introduced to Scotland by Scandinavian settlers and invaders. It became popular outside Scotland during the 20th century. A famous bearer was American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
RONALDO m PortuguesePortuguese form of
RONALD. A notable bearer is the retired Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (1976-), who is commonly known only by his first name.
RÓNÁN m IrishMeans
"little seal", derived from Irish
rón "seal" combined with a diminutive suffix.
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.
RONNE m FrisianFrisian short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
hraban meaning
"raven".
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).
RÓRDÁN m IrishFrom the older Irish name
Ríoghbhardán, which meant
"little poet king" from Irish Gaelic
ríogh "king" combined with
bard "poet" and a diminutive suffix.
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.
ROSCOE m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally derived from a place name, itself derived from Old Norse
rá "roebuck" and
skógr "wood, forest".
ROSENDO m SpanishSpanish form of a Visigothic name composed of the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
sinths "path". This was the name of a 10th-century Galician saint, also known as Rudesind.
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 Avestan
raodha "to grow" and
takhma "strong, brave, valiant". 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".
ROTEM m & f HebrewFrom the name of a desert plant (species Retama raetam), possibly derived from Hebrew
רְתֹם (retom) meaning "to bind".
ROWAN m & f Irish, English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Ruadháin meaning
"descendant of RUADHÁN". This name can also be given in reference to the rowan tree.
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.
ROYCE m EnglishFrom a 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.
RU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
儒 (rú) meaning "scholar",
如 (rú) meaning "like, as, if", or other characters with similar pronunciations.
RUADH m Irish, ScottishGaelic 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.
RUAIDHRÍ m IrishMeans
"red king" from Irish
ruadh "red" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of the last high king of Ireland, reigning in the 12th century.
RUARC m IrishProbably an Irish form of
HRŒREKR, introduced by Scandinavian settlers and invaders. Alternatively it may be derived from Irish
ruarc "squall, rainstorm".
RUDOLF m German, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Dutch, Russian, ArmenianFrom the Germanic name
Hrodulf, which was derived from the elements
hrod "fame" and
wulf "wolf". It was borne by three kings of Burgundy, 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 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" and
arr "warrior". This name did not exist in Old Norse, but was created in the modern era.
RUPERT m German, Dutch, EnglishGerman variant form of
ROBERT. 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".
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 a surname meaning
"little red one" in French. 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.
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.
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.
RYAN m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Riain meaning
"descendant of Rían". The given name
Rían probably means
"little king" (from Irish
rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix).
RYDER m English (Modern)From an English occupational surname derived from Old English
ridere meaning
"mounted warrior" or
"messenger".
RYKER m English (Modern)Possibly a variant of the German surname
Riker, a derivative of Low German
rike "rich". It may have been altered by association with the popular name prefix
Ry.
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.
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". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.
RYOU m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
涼 or
遼 or
諒 (see
RYŌ).
RYŪ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
竜, 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon", as well as other kanji with the same pronunciation.
RYŪJI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
竜, 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, 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon" or
隆 (ryū) meaning "noble, prosperous" combined with
之 (no), a possessive marker, and
介 (suke) meaning "forerunner, herald". 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).