Baby boy names beginning with R – with origins and meanings

• Origin: Scottish
• Meaning: bright; fame
• Also: Robert

2. Rachamin

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: Compassion and understanding

3. Radcliffe

• Origin: English
• Meaning: red cliff; a surname used as a first name

4. Radhakrishna

• Origin: Indian
• Meaning: name describing the complete God

5. Radomil

• Origin: Czech
• Meaning: love of peace

6. Rafferty

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: prosperity

7. Raha

• Origin: Swahili
• Meaning: joy

8. Rahim

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: merciful
• Also: Raheem

9. Rahul

• Origin: Hindi
• Meaning: conqueror of all miseries

10. Raimy

• Origin: African American
• Meaning: compassionate; also used as a girl’s name
• Also: Raimee

11. Rainier

• Origin: German
• Meaning: wise army
• Also: Rayner

12. Raja

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: hope

13. Rajan

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: the king
• Also: Rajesh

14. Rajnish

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: the moon
• Also: Rajneesh

15. Raleigh

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: deer’s meadow
• Also: Rayleigh, Rawley

16. Ralph

• Origin: Old Norse
• Meaning: wolf counsellor
• Also: Rafe, Ralf, Raoul (French form), Raul (Spanish form)

17. Rama

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: pleasing

18. Ramon

• Origin: Spanish
• Meaning: counsel, protection
• Also: Raymond

19. Ramsey

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: garlic Island
• Also: Ramsay

20. Randal

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: shield of the wolf
• Also: Rand, Ranulf

21. Randolph

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: shield of the wolf; this name is from the same root as Randal
• Also: Randy

22. Rankin

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: little shield
• Also: Rankine

23. Ransom

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: warrior’s shield

24. Raoul

• Origin: French
• Meaning: counsel; wolf
• Also: Ralph, Raul

25. Raphael

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: God has healed

26. Raqib

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: guardian

27. Rashad

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: maturity

28. Rashan

• Origin: African American
• Meaning: newly created
• Also: Roshawn, RoShawn

29. Rastus

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: beloved
• Also: Erasmus

30. Ravi

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: the sun
• Also: Ravindra

31. Rawley

• Origin: English
• Meaning: roe deer's meadow
• Also: Raleigh

32. Rawnsley

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: the field of ravens

33. Raymond

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: strong protection
• Also: Ray, Ramon (Spanish form)

34. Rayner

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: mighty people
• Also: Rayne, Rainier (French form)

35. Razi

• Origin: African American
• Meaning: secret
• Also: Raz, Raziel

36. Read

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: red
• Also: Reade, Reed, Reede

37. Reading

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: son of the red head
• Also: Redding

38. Redman

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: the red man
• Also: Redmond

39. Reece

• Origin: English
• Meaning: passion
• Also: Rhys

40. Regan

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: descended from kings; a surname used as a first name
• Also: Reagan, Rogan

41. Reginald

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: power
• Also: Reg, Reggie, Rex, Renato (Italian form)

42. Rehan

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: scented

43. Remus

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: an oar; Remus was the brother of Romulus, the founder of Rome.

44. Renato

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: born again
• Also: Reginald

45. René

• Origin: French
• Meaning: born again

46. Renfrew

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: the point of two river currents meeting

47. Renton

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: settlement of the deer

48. Reuben

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: behold a son
• Also: Rube

49. Rex

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: king

50. Reyansh

• Origin: Hindi
• Meaning: ray of light

51. Reynard

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: strong and brave

52. Reynold

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: might

53. Rhodri

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: crowned leader
• Also: Roderick (English form)

54. Rhys

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: temper
• Also: Reece

55. Rian/Riaan

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: king
• Also: Ryan

56. Richard

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: powerful ruler
• Also: Dick, Dickie, Rich, Richie, Ricky, Rickie, Ricard

57. Richmond

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: the rich hill
• Also: Rich, Richey

58. Rida

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: favoured

59. Rider

• Origin: English
• Meaning: horseman

60. Ridley

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: reed meadow

61. Rigby

• Origin: English
• Meaning: ridge farm

62. Rigg

• Origin: Anglo-Saxon
• Meaning: ridge

63. Rikuto

• Origin: Japanese
• Meaning: land

64. Riley

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: wood clearing

65. Riordan

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: royal poet
• Also: Reardon

66. Ripley

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: shouting man’s meadow

67. Rishi

• Origin: Indian
• Meaning: wise man

68. River

• Origin: English
• Meaning: body of water

69. Roald

• Origin: Old Norse
• Meaning: famous leader

70. Robert

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: bright fame
• Also: are Bob, Bobbie, Bobby, Bert, Rab, Rabbie (Scottish forms)

71. Robin

• Origin: English
• Meaning: bright
• Also: Robert, Robyn

72. Robinson

• Origin: English
• Meaning: son of Robin

73. Rochester

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: stone camp or fortress

74. Rodden

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: place or house in the clearing

75. Roderick

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: famous rule
• Also: Rod, Roddy, Roderick (Spanish form)

76. Rodney

• Origin: English
• Meaning: island near the clearing; a surname and Somerset place used as a first name
• Also: Rod, Roddy

77. Rodrigo

• Origin: Spanish
• Meaning: famous ruler
• Also: Roderick

78. Roger

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: famous spearman
• Also: Rodger, Rodge

79. Rohan

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: healing

80. Roland

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: the famous land
• Also: Rowland, Rolland, Roly, Orlando

81. Rolf

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: famous wolf
• Also: Ralph, Rollo.

82. Romilly

• Origin: French
• Meaning: man of Rome, the capital city of Italy

83. Romney

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: winding river

84. Ronak

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: enrichment

85. Ronald

• Origin: Scottish
• Meaning: rules with counsel; Scottish form of Reynald and Reginald
• Also: Ranald, Reg, Reggi, Ron, Ronnie

86. Ronan

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: little seal; a name used in Ireland and Scotland

87. Rory

• Origin: Irish and Gaelic
• Meaning: red-haired
• Also: Rorie, Ruari, Ruaridh

88. Roscoe

• Origin: Norse
• Meaning: roe or deer’s wood

89. Ross

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: headland; the name of a Scottish clan

90. Rowan

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: red-haired

91. Rowe

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: roe deer

92. Rowell

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: roe deer well

93. Rowley

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: roughly cleared meadow

94. Roxburgh

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: the fort with rooks

95. Roy

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: red

96. Royce

• Origin: English
• Meaning: son of the king; associated with the Rolls-Royce car brand

97. Royle

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: the hill of roe deer

98. Royston

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: the town of Royce

99. Rube

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: behold a son
• Also: Reuben

100. Rudolf

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: famous wolf
• Also: Rudolph, Rudy, Rudi

101. Rudra

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: the roared

102. Rudyard

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: an enclosure

103. Rufus

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: red-haired

104. Runako

• Origin: African American
• Meaning: handsome

105. Rupak

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: beautiful
• Also: Rupesh, Rupchand, Rupinder

106. Rupert

• Origin: Old German
• Meaning: bright fame; this name comes from the same root as Robert

107. Russell

• Origin: Norse
• Meaning: red-haired or skinned
• Also: Russ

108. Rutherford

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: cattle crossing

109. Rutland

• Origin: Norse
• Meaning: land of roots

110. Ryan

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: little king
• Also: Rian, Riaan

111. Ryker

• Origin: Danish
• Meaning: strong

112. Ryland

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: the land that grows rye
• Also: Rylan

Illustration: Emma Winchester

Read more:

• 1000 baby boy names – and their meanings
• Baby boy names beginning with Q
• Baby boy names beginning with S