Browse Names

This is a list of names in which the usage is South American; and the pattern is *r.
gender
usage
pattern
Ademar m Portuguese
Portuguese form of Audamar (see Otmar).
Ademir m Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian variant of Ademar.
Aitor m Basque, Spanish
Possibly means "good fathers" from Basque aita "father" and on "good". This was the name of a legendary ancestor of the Basques.
Almir 1 m Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian variant of Almiro.
Altair m Astronomy, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Means "the flyer" in Arabic. This is the name of a star in the constellation Aquila.
Amador m Spanish
Spanish form of Amator.
Ámbar f Spanish (Modern)
Spanish cognate of Amber.
Amílcar m Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese and Spanish form of Hamilcar.
Amor m & f Roman Mythology, Late Roman, Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Means "love" in Latin. This was another name for the Roman god Cupid. It also means "love" in Spanish and Portuguese, and as a feminine name it can be derived directly from this vocabulary word.
Apolinar m Spanish
Spanish form of Apollinaris.
Azahar f Spanish (Rare)
Means "orange blossom" in Spanish, ultimately from Arabic زهْرة (zahra) meaning "flower". It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Azahar, meaning "Our Lady of the Orange Blossom", because of the citrus trees that surround a church devoted to her near Murcia.
Baltasar m Spanish, Biblical Greek
Spanish form of Balthazar. This is also the form (of Belshazzar) used in the Greek Old Testament.
Bolívar m Spanish (Latin American)
From a surname that was taken from the Basque place name Bolibar, which was derived from bolu "mill" and ibar "riverside". A famous bearer of the surname was Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), a South American revolutionary leader, after whom the country of Bolivia is named.
César m French, Spanish, Portuguese
French, Spanish and Portuguese form of Caesar. A famous bearer was the American labour organizer César Chávez (1927-1993).
Cézar m Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese variant of César.
Cezar m Romanian, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Romanian form of Caesar, as well as a Brazilian Portuguese variant of César.
Cristopher m Spanish
Spanish form of the English name Christopher.
Édgar m Spanish
Spanish form of Edgar.
Edgar m English, French, Portuguese, German
Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).
Elder m Portuguese
Variant of Hélder.
Esther f English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.... [more]
Flor f Spanish, Portuguese
Either directly from Spanish or Portuguese flor meaning "flower", or a short form of Florencia.
Francisco Javier m Spanish
Combination of Francisco and Javier, referring to Saint Francis Xavier.
Gaspar m Spanish, Portuguese, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Spanish and Portuguese form of Jasper, as well as the Latin form.
Guálter m Portuguese
Portuguese form of Walter.
Guiomar f & m Portuguese, Spanish, Arthurian Cycle
Possibly derived from the Germanic name Wigmar, which was formed of the elements wig "war, battle" and mari "famous". In the medieval Lancelot-Grail Cycle he plays a minor role as a cousin of Guinevere, who banishes him after he becomes a lover of Morgan le Fey. In modern Portugal and Spain it is a feminine name.
Héctor m Spanish
Spanish form of Hector.
Heitor m Portuguese
Portuguese form of Hector.
Hélder m Portuguese
Meaning uncertain. It was borne by the Brazilian archbishop Dom Hélder Câmara (1909-1999) who was noted for his charity. It could be from the name of the Dutch town of Den Helder (possibly meaning "hell's door" in Dutch).
Icíar f Spanish
Spanish variant of Itziar.
Igor m Russian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Basque
Russian form of the Old Norse name Yngvarr (see Ingvar). The Varangians brought it with them when they began settling in Eastern Europe in the 9th century. It was borne by two grand princes of Kyiv, notably Igor I the son of Rurik and the husband of Saint Olga. Other famous bearers include Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer known for The Rite of Spring, and Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter.
Itamar m Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Hebrew form of Ithamar, also used in Brazil.
Itziar f Basque, Spanish
From the name of a Basque village that contains an important shrine to the Virgin Mary, possibly meaning "old stone".
Jair m Biblical, Biblical Portuguese, Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Means "he shines" in Hebrew, a derivative of אוֹר (ʾor) meaning "to shine". In the Old Testament this is the name of both a son of Manasseh and one of the ruling judges of the Israelites.
Javier m Spanish
Spanish form of Xavier.
Jennifer f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish
From a Cornish form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar (see Guinevere). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.... [more]
Júlio César m Portuguese
Combination of Júlio and César, referring to the Roman general Julius Caesar.
Julio César m Spanish
Combination of Julio and César, referring to the Roman general Julius Caesar.
Leonor f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Eleanor. It was brought to Spain in the 12th-century by Eleanor of England, who married King Alfonso VIII of Castile.
Mar f Spanish, Catalan
Means "sea" in Spanish and Catalan. It is from a devotional title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Mar "Our Lady of the Sea", the patron saint of the Spanish province of Almería.
María del Mar f Spanish
Means "Mary of the sea" in Spanish, a devotional title of the Virgin Mary.
María Pilar f Spanish
Combination of María and Pilar.
Marimar f Spanish
Contraction of María del Mar.
Melchor m Spanish
Spanish form of Melchior.
Moacir m Tupi
From Tupi moasy meaning "pain, regret". This is the name of the son of Iracema and Martim in the novel Iracema (1865) by José de Alencar.
Néstor m Spanish
Spanish form of Nestor.
Nestor m Greek Mythology, Russian, Portuguese, French
Means "returner, homecomer" in Greek, from νέομαι (neomai) meaning "to return". In Homer's Iliad this was the name of the king of Pylos, famous for his great wisdom and longevity, who acted as a counselor to the Greek allies.
Neymar m Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Meaning unknown. A famous bearer is the Brazilian soccer player Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (1992-), who is usually known by just his first name. He was named after his father.
Nicanor m Ancient Greek (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin, Spanish
From the Greek name Νικάνωρ (Nikanor), which was derived from νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". This name was borne by several notable officers from ancient Macedon. It is also mentioned in the New Testament as belonging to one of the original seven deacons of the church, considered a saint.
Omar 1 m Arabic, Bosnian, Kazakh, Malay, English, Spanish, Italian
Alternate transcription of Arabic عمر (see Umar). This is the usual English spelling of the name of the 12th-century poet Umar Khayyam. In his honour it has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world, notably for the American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
Óscar m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Oscar.
Oscar m English, Irish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, French, Irish Mythology
Possibly means "deer friend", derived from Old Irish oss "deer" and carae "friend". Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name Osgar or its Old Norse cognate Ásgeirr, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking invaders and settlers. In Irish legend Oscar was the son of the poet Oisín and the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.... [more]
Pastor m Spanish, Late Roman
From a Late Latin name meaning "shepherd". This was the name of at least three saints.
Pilar f Spanish
Means "pillar" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, María del Pilar, meaning "Mary of the Pillar". According to legend, when Saint James the Greater was in Saragossa in Spain, the Virgin Mary appeared on a pillar.
Salvador m Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of the Late Latin name Salvator, which meant "saviour", referring to Jesus. A famous bearer of this name was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
Válter m Portuguese (Brazilian)
Portuguese variant form of Walter.
Víctor m Spanish, Catalan
Spanish and Catalan form of Victor.
Victor m English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late Roman
Roman name meaning "victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.
Vilmar m Portuguese (Brazilian)
Form of Wilmer popular in Brazil.
Vítor m Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician form of Victor.
Wálter m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese variant form of Walter, more common in South America than Europe. It is often written without the diacritic.
Wilmer m English, Spanish (Latin American), Swedish
From the Old English name Wilmǣr, likely via a surname that was derived from it. In some cases it might be regarded as a masculine form of Wilma.
Xavier m English, French, Portuguese, Catalan, Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria meaning "the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) who was born in a village by this name. He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries. His surname has since been adopted as a given name in his honour, chiefly among Catholics.
Yair m Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, Spanish (Latin American)
Hebrew form of Jair, as well as a Spanish variant.