Baby boy names that start with the letter R

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

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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

About our author Catherine Ball

Catherine Ball is a freelance journalist who specialises in writing about parenting and health. She has been a journalist for 20 years, writing for a wide range of regional and national publications. She is also mum to 4 children between the ages 3 and 12, so has drawn up many, many lists of baby names over the past few years.

Illustration: Emma Winchester

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