Girl names that start with R run from biblical standards like Rachel and Ruth to sounds most people have never met, such as Rhedyn and Rooroo. This list gathers 100 of them, with the meaning, origin, pronunciation and current U.S. popularity for each.
Every ranking here comes from Social Security Administration birth records (1), so the figures describe American babies only. Riley, Rowan and Ruby are the three R names inside the national top 100 for girls born in 2025.
Plenty of names below never chart at all. The SSA leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year (2), so a missing ranking is not an oversight. It simply means the name is that rare.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Riley, Rowan, Ruby, River and Rose.
100 Best Female Names That Start with R
Get ready for awesome R names for the gal you love most.
Raahi
Raahi carries the sense of a traveler, someone always moving toward the next thing. Hindu tradition links it to the goddess Radha, and it also reads as born during the springtime. A third sense, good companion, gives it real warmth. It is short, open-voweled and easy to say once you have heard it.
- Origin: Hindi
- Meaning: Traveler
- Pronunciation: RAA-HHiy
- Variations: Rahi, Rahii
- Popularity: Raahi is at its highest U.S. ranking on record, #4,727 for girls born in 2025.
Raaka
Raaka reaches for the night sky, with bright and brilliant sitting alongside its main sense of a full moon. Finnish speakers hear something else entirely, since raaka means raw in Finnish. That double life gives the name a little edge under all the softness.
- Origin: Indian
- Meaning: Full moon
- Pronunciation: RAY-Kah
- Variations: Raeka
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Raaka, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Rabita
Rabita is one of the quietest names in this collection, and the record on it is thin. Arabic gives it the sense of a bond or a band, the tie between people rather than anything you can hold. There is no long line of bearers behind it, so a daughter would define it herself. For parents who want a name nobody else in the class will have, that emptiness is the appeal.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Bond
- Pronunciation: Raa-BIY-taa
- Popularity: Rabita has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Rachel
Rachel is the English form of the Hebrew Rachael, and its oldest reading is ewe or little lamb. In the Bible she is Jacob’s wife, which kept the name in steady use across centuries of Jewish and Christian families. It first appeared in American birth records in the 1880s and still charts in 2025. Friends usually land on Rae or Rach without needing to ask.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Purity
- Pronunciation: REY-Chahl
- Variations: Rachael
- Namesakes: Rachel Ben-Zvi, the First lady of Israel from 1952 to 1963. Rachel McAdams, a Canadian actress, known for the romantic film The Notebook.
- Popularity: American birth records show Rachel at #250 in 2025, after a high of #9 in 1996.
Raddix
Raddix is a modern American coinage that reached the public as the daughter of Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden. Latin gives it root, and it may also come from the Slavic rad, meaning happy. Some readings stretch it to new beginning, and the slang word rad sits right there too. It is barely used, which is exactly the point for parents who want a name with no history attached.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Root
- Pronunciation: RADD-icks
- Namesakes: Raddix Madden, the daughter of American actress Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden.
- Popularity: The SSA has not listed Raddix since 2022, when it ranked #8,160; its high was #7,460 in 2021.
Radha
Radha belongs to Hindu devotional tradition, where she stands beside Krishna as the figure of love itself. The poetic reading is golden bloom of the garden of heaven, and prosperity, perfection and wealth follow behind it. It is one of the more familiar Indian girl names outside India, partly through its cousin Radhika. Radhika gives families a longer form to grow into, if they want one.
- Origin: Hindi, Sanskrit
- Meaning: Blessing
- Pronunciation: RAA-Daa
- Variations: Radhah
- Popularity: Radha reached #2,853 among American girls born in 2025, its strongest showing yet.
Radica
Radica comes from the Slavic Radmil, built from rad, meaning happy, and milu, meaning kind. Put together it describes a cheerful, good-natured person. In Italian the same spelling means briar root, the wood that pipes are carved from. It is unfussy to say and rarely met, which is a good combination.
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Joyful
- Pronunciation: RAA-dih-Kah
- Variations: Radhika, Radhyka
- Popularity: Radica is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Radmilla
Radmilla pairs the Slavic rade, meaning happiness, with mila, meaning sweet, so the whole name reads as joyful affection. A second reading, industrious for the people, gives it some backbone. Opera singer Radmila Bakočevic and singer Radmila Lolly both use the single-l spelling. The doubled l is the rarer choice and looks a little softer on paper.
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Sweet happiness
- Pronunciation: Raed-MIYL-ah
- Variations: Radmila
- Namesakes: Radmila Bakočevic, a Serbian opera singer with the National Theatre in Belgrade. Radmila Lolly, a Russian-American singer whose albums premiered at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Radmilla, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Raelynn
Raelynn is a modern American blend, joining Rae, the short form of Rachel, with Lynn. Readings like beam of light, beautiful lamb and princess of divine light all attach to it. It sounds equally at home shortened to Rae.
- Origin: English, American
- Meaning: Beam of light
- Pronunciation: REY-Lihnn
- Variations: Raylynn, Raelyn, Raelynne
- Namesakes: Raelynn Hillhouse, an American smuggler during the Cold War. Rae Lynn Job, a Democratic member of the Wyoming Senate.
- Popularity: Raelynn ranked #116 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 2022 best of #99.
Raewyn
Raewyn is a variation of the Welsh name Raeven, landing on raven, with white doe as a second reading. The rae element ties it back to Raymond and its sense of wise protection. Sociologist Raewyn Connell and footballer Raewyn Hall are its best-known bearers. It manages to sound familiar and unplaceable at the same time, which is hard to pull off.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Raven
- Pronunciation: REY-uw-EYN
- Variations: Raeven
- Namesakes: Raewyn Connell, an Australian sociologist and author of the book Southern Theory. Raewyn Hall, a New Zealand football player for the New Zealand national team.
- Popularity: Raewyn last appeared in U.S. birth data in 2021 at #11,954, well off its 1981 best of #11,661.
Rafa
Rafa works as a short form of the Spanish Rafael and the Hebrew Raphael, both built on the idea that God has healed. Arabic adds well-meaning to the pile. It leans male in most places, which is part of what makes it read relaxed rather than fussy on a girl.
- Origin: Hebrew, Arabic
- Meaning: God has healed
- Pronunciation: RAEF-aa
- Variations: Raafa, Rafah, Raffa
- Popularity: Rafa sits at #5,557 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #5,020 in 2023.
Rafiqah
Rafiqah comes from the Arabic root R-F-Q, which spreads across kind, gentle and good-mannered. The name itself means dear friend, or companion. Friend names carry easily into adulthood, and this one wears its meaning openly.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Dear friend
- Pronunciation: Raa-FIY-Kah
- Variations: Rafika
- Popularity: Rafiqah has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Raga
In Indian classical music a raga is the framework a melody is built on, and that is the association most listeners will bring. As a name it carries color, along with feeling and beauty. It is also at its highest U.S. ranking on record, so it is being discovered right now.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Color
- Pronunciation: RAA-Gaa
- Popularity: Raga is at its highest U.S. ranking on record, #14,529 for girls born in 2025.
Raimonda
Raimonda is the feminine Italian variation of Ramona, and like Raymond it holds advice and protection together. Footballer Raimonda Bložytė-Lukoševičienė and designer Raimonda Gaetani show the range it covers. It is a formal name with an easy nickname hiding inside, since both Mona and Rai work.
- Origin: German, Italian
- Meaning: Wise defender
- Pronunciation: Rey-MAAN-dah
- Variations: Raimunda
- Namesakes: Raimonda Bložytė-Lukoševičienė, a Lithuanian footballer for the Lithuania women’s national team. Raimonda Gaetani, an Italian set and costume designer for productions at the National Theatre in London.
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Raimonda, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Raisa
Raisa answers to several languages at once: princess and leader in Arabic, flower in Russian, rose in Hebrew. Some trace it to the Greek rhadios, meaning easy-going, a nice counterweight to all that royalty. Raisa Gorbacheva, wife of the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, is its most public bearer. The sound is smooth and the spelling stays intuitive in English.
- Origin: Arabic, Russian
- Meaning: Princess
- Pronunciation: Raa-IY-saa
- Variations: Ra’isa, Raissah, Raissa
- Namesakes: Raisa Gorbacheva, the Soviet-Russian wife of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Raisa Katyukova-Smekhnova, a Soviet long-distance runner and bronze medalist at the 1983 World Championships.
- Popularity: Raisa sits at #4,639 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #1,463 in 1988.
Raku
Raku means fun or delightful, and stretches to comfort and music in Japanese. Broken apart, ra reads as good and ku as ruler. It is also the name of the pottery used in Japanese tea ceremonies, so it arrives with a quiet, handmade image attached. The pottery association gives it a ready-made story to tell.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Fun, delightful
- Pronunciation: RAH-kuu
- Popularity: Raku is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Raluca
Raluca began as a diminutive of Ralle and Raletos, both forms of Heraclius, which is how it picked up the glory belonging to the goddess Hera. Romanian families kept it in use while it stayed almost unknown elsewhere. The stress lands on the middle syllable, which gives it a bounce the spelling does not show.
- Origin: Romanian, Greek
- Meaning: Field with birds
- Pronunciation: Rae-LUW-kah
- Namesakes: Raluca Turcan, a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies since 2004. Raluca Udroiu, a Romanian swimmer who competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Raluca, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Ramona
Ramona is the female counterpart of Ramon and Raymond, and it carries wise protector. It has been at home across Spain, Romania, Italy and Portugal for generations. American readers know it from Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, which fixed it in a lot of childhoods. Vintage without being fragile, it has aged into one of the more wearable names on this list.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Wise protector
- Pronunciation: Rah-MOWN-ah
- Variations: Ramonna, Ramowna
- Namesakes: Ramona Fradon, an American comics artist known for co-creating the superhero Metamorpho. Ramona Mănescu, a minister of Foreign Affairs in the Romanian Government.
- Popularity: The SSA put Ramona at #733 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1928, at #117.
Rane
Rane reads as queen, with strong counselor close behind. It may connect to the Scandinavian Ragnar, and it also means deciding warrior. Its use has faded since the late 1990s, which leaves more room for a family to make it their own.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Queen
- Pronunciation: RAA-Neh
- Variations: RAAYNE
- Popularity: Rane sits at #7,098 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #4,370 in 1998.
Rania
Rania comes from the Arabic root R-Y-N and describes someone gazing, specifically one who has a loving gaze. Winner and one who triumphs sit in its range too, which is a lot of ground for three syllables. Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan is the bearer most people will picture. It pairs neatly with a short surname.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Gazing
- Pronunciation: RAEN-iy-Ah
- Variations: Raniyah
- Namesakes: Rania Al-Abdullah, Queen of Jordan and the wife of King Abdullah II. Rania Elwani, an Egyptian Olympic and African Record holding swimmer.
- Popularity: American birth records show Rania at #2,682 in 2025, after a high of #1,660 in 2006.
Rapa
Rapa means moonbeam in Hawaiian, which is about as pretty as a two-syllable name gets. Italian hands the same word to the turnip, and it once marked the people who sold them. It is also a Finnish boy’s name, meaning chanting. Rare, easy to spell, and hard to mistake for anything else.
- Origin: Hawaiian
- Meaning: Moonbeam
- Pronunciation: RAA-Pah
- Popularity: Rapa has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Raphaela
Raphaela is the female form of the Hebrew name Raphael, built from rafá, meaning to heal, and el, meaning God. The archangel Raphael watches over travelers, which suits a name that has traveled: it has been most at home in Brazil. Volleyball player Raphaela Folie and filmmaker Raphaela Neihausen both wear it well. Four syllables sound grand, and Raffa cuts it down fast.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God heals
- Pronunciation: Raa-fiy-EHL-aa
- Variations: Raphaella, Raphayella, Raffaela
- Namesakes: Raphaela Folie, an Italian volleyball player for the Italian national team. Raphaela Neihausen, an American filmmaker who founded DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival.
- Popularity: The SSA put Raphaela at #11,702 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1915, at #3,719.
Rapunzel
Rapunzel is a German word for rampion, a leafy garden plant, though nobody hears the salad. The Grimm fairytale heroine with the impossible hair owns the name completely. American parents have used it in a trickle and never more than that. It is a bold choice that arrives with its own bedtime story.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Rampion, lamb’s lettuce
- Pronunciation: Rah-PUN-Zehl
- Popularity: The SSA has not listed Rapunzel since 2017, when it ranked #15,523; its high was #4,550 in 1959.
Rashida
Rashida is an ancient Arabic name for someone rightly guided, and its other readings run from conscious and pious to wise and mature. Actress Rashida Jones carried it into American living rooms through Parks and Recreation. Assembly member Rashida Riffat is another long-serving bearer. The name is dignified without being heavy.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Rightly guided
- Pronunciation: Raa-SHIY-dah
- Variations: Rasheedah, Rasheeda, Rashidah
- Namesakes: Rashida Jones, an American actress known for the NBC series Parks and Recreation (2009 to 2015). Rashida Riffat, a Member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2013.
- Popularity: American birth records show Rashida at #14,540 in 2025, after a high of #536 in 1977.
Rashusha
Rashusha is an unusually obscure spin on the Arabic Rashida, and righteous is the meaning that follows it. Almost nothing else has been written about it. That blankness is either a problem or an invitation, depending on the parent.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Righteous
- Pronunciation: Rah-SHUW-Shah
- Popularity: Rashusha is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Raven
Raven comes straight from the Old English hræfn and needs no translation. The bird brings its own set of associations, sharp-eyed and a little gothic, which is part of why the name became popular with Black-American and Wiccan families. Its strongest year in the U.S. was 1993, and it has held steady use ever since without going mainstream.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Raven (bird)
- Pronunciation: REY-Vahn
- Variations: Raeven, Ravenn, Ravenne
- Namesakes: David Petruschin (known as Raven), an American drag queen in the TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race. Raven-Symoné, an American actress named on VH1’s list of “100 Greatest Child Stars of All Time.”
- Popularity: The SSA put Raven at #404 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1993, at #139.
Ravinia
Ravinia is a soft reshaping of Ravenna, the Italian city stacked with Roman and Etruscan history. The name carries that weight lightly. It looks invented until you know the city, and then it looks deliberate.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Italian city name
- Pronunciation: rah-VIN-ee-ah
- Variations: Ravina
- Popularity: Ravinia has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Raya
Raya means friend in Hebrew and stretches to beloved woman. Slavic families use it as a short form of Raina, which brings queen into the picture. Raya Dunayevskaya, who founded Marxist humanist philosophy in the U.S., is among its bearers. Four letters, vowel-forward, and American parents have been finding it quickly.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Friend
- Pronunciation: RAA-Yaa
- Variations: Raia
- Namesakes: Raya Dunayevskaya, the American founder of Marxist humanist philosophy in the U.S. Raya Meddine, a Lebanese-American actress appearing on the soap opera The Young and the Restless.
- Popularity: American birth records show Raya at #369 in 2025, after a high of #353 in 2023.
Rayen
Rayen means blossom in Mapuche-Mapudungun, the language of southern Chile. It may also connect to the Irish Rayan, meaning little king, and it doubles as the name of a city in Iran. That is a lot of geography for five letters. In American birth data it is the rarest of the names here that chart at all.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Flower
- Pronunciation: REY-Ahn
- Variations: Rayan
- Popularity: Rayen ranked #16,727 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 2015 best of #7,911.
Razia
Razia is the female short form of the Arabic Radhiyyah, and it means contented, pleased, satisfied. Journalist Razia Bhatti and educator Razia Jan give it real substance. The name says something calm about the person wearing it, which not many names manage.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Contented
- Pronunciation: RAH-ziy-Ah
- Variations: Raziah
- Namesakes: Razia Bhatti, a Pakistani journalist and editor of the Herald and Newsline magazines. Razia Jan, an Afghani founder of Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation, a nonprofit educational organization.
- Popularity: Razia dropped out of the U.S. data after 2024, when it sat at #17,151 (best: #8,398 in 2023).
Reagan
Reagan grew out of the Irish O’Riagain and once described a king’s child. Little ruler, regal and royal all trail behind it. It moved from surname to given name in the U.S. and has held its place for decades since. It is one of the few names here that sounds equally right on a toddler and on a lawyer.
- Origin: Irish, Gaelic
- Meaning: Little king
- Pronunciation: REY-Gahn
- Variations: Regan
- Namesakes: Reagan Pasternak, a Canadian actress known for the TV series Being Erica. Reagan Gomez-Preston, an American actress in the WB sitcom The Parent ‘Hood (1995 to 1999).
- Popularity: Reagan sits at #248 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #97 in 2012.
Rebecca
Rebecca traces to the Hebrew root rbq, meaning to tie firmly, and readings of earth, soil and beauty have grown around it since. It is a biblical name that somehow never became a period piece. Actress Rebecca De Mornay and editor Rebecca Greer are among its bearers. Becky and Becks handle the informal end.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: To tie firmly
- Pronunciation: Rah-BEHK-ah
- Variations: Rebbeca, Rebeccah
- Namesakes: Rebecca De Mornay (born Rebecca Pearch), an American actress known for the film The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992). Rebecca Greer, an American writer and an editor for Woman’s Day magazine.
- Popularity: American birth records show Rebecca at #350 in 2025, after a high of #10 in 1973.
Rebel
Rebel comes from the French rebelle and means exactly what it looks like. It is also a surname in Alsace and Lorraine. Actress Rebel Wilson is the bearer most people know. As a first name it makes a promise the child may or may not keep, which is half the fun.
- Origin: German, French
- Meaning: Rebellious person
- Pronunciation: REH-Bahl
- Variations: Rebele, Rebell, Rebelle
- Namesakes: Rebel Wilson (born Melanie Bownds), an Australian actress named by Variety as one of the “Top Ten Comics to Watch for 2013.” Rebel Penfold-Russell, an Australian producer of the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
- Popularity: Rebel ranked #3,204 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 2021 best of #1,620.
Reem
Reem is the Arabic word for a gazelle, sometimes a white deer, and it stands for purity. Arabic poetry uses the gazelle to symbolize a beautiful woman, so the name arrives with centuries of literary company. Writer Reem Kassis and swimmer Reem El-Bossaty carry it now. Rihm, an alternate spelling, works as a quieter option for parents who want a different look on the page.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Gazelle
- Pronunciation: RIYM
- Variations: Rihm
- Namesakes: Reem Kassis, a Palestinian writer whose book The Palestinian Table, was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2017. Reem El-Bossaty, an Egyptian synchronized swimmer who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: The SSA put Reem at #1,537 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 2024, at #1,304.
Reese
Reese is the anglicized Welsh Rhys, meaning fiery or enthusiastic. It spent centuries as a boy’s name before American parents claimed it for daughters, helped along by Reese Witherspoon. The single syllable does a lot of work: friendly, brisk, no nickname required.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Ardent
- Pronunciation: REES
- Variations: Rees, Reece
- Namesakes: Reese Witherspoon, an American actress named by Forbes Magazine as the world’s richest actress in 2021.
- Popularity: Reese sits at #192 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #128 in 2012.
Reidun
Reidun joins the Norse hreið, meaning nest, with unn, meaning to love, so the whole name reads as lovely in the nest. It was a Norwegian favorite through the 1930s and 40s and has stayed close to home since. Politician Reidun Brusletten and swimmer Reidun Tatham are among its bearers. American ears will not have heard it, which may be the whole appeal.
- Origin: Norwegian
- Meaning: Lovely in the nest
- Pronunciation: RAY-Duhn
- Variations: Raiden
- Namesakes: Reidun Brusletten, the first Minister of International Development from 1983 to 1986. Reidun Tatham, a Canadian synchronized swimmer and bronze medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Reidun has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Reinhilde
Reinhilde comes from the German and Norse Raganhildis, built from raginą, meaning advice, and hildiz, meaning fight. Together they give the decision to fight, which is a striking thing to hand a daughter. It has been most at home in Germany, and it is the coolest vintage girl name here that starts with R. Actress Reinhilde Decleir gave it a stage presence.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Battle counsel
- Pronunciation: Rayn-HHIL-De
- Variations: Reinhelde
- Namesakes: Reinhilde Decleir, a Flemish actress appearing in the 2009 TV series Van Vlees en Bloed. Lisa del Bo (born Reinhilde Goossens), a Belgian singer in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1996.
- Popularity: Reinhilde is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Remi
Remi goes back to the Latin Remigius, and French tradition attaches it to hope. In Nigeria it works as a short form of Oluremi, meaning the lord consoles me. Singer Remi Wolf keeps it in current use. It is the fastest-climbing name on this whole list. Remy is the spelling families reach for when they want a slightly different look.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Oarsman
- Pronunciation: REH-Miy
- Variations: Remy
- Namesakes: Remi Wolf, an American singer, and contestant on American Idol in 2014.
- Popularity: The SSA put Remi at #145 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 2022, at #118.
Renata
Renata comes from the Latin Renatus and means born again, or she who was born again. Opera singer Renata Tebaldi made it sound like the grandest name in the room, and tennis player Renata Voráčová gave it a second kind of energy. It collapsed in the U.S. and then came back, which very few names manage. Rennie and Nata are there if four syllables feel like a lot.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Reborn
- Pronunciation: Reh-NAA-taa
- Namesakes: Renata Tebaldi, an Italian post-war opera singer at the Metropolitan Opera. Renata Voráčová, a Czech tennis player who peaked at No. 29 in the WTA doubles rankings.
- Popularity: Renata sits at #481 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #336 in 1980.
Renee
Renee is the French cousin of Renata, made from née, meaning born, and the prefix re-. American parents kept it high through the 1960s and 70s, so it reads as a particular generation. Actress Renée Zellweger holds the accented spelling. It is about due for the revival that names of that vintage tend to get.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Born again
- Pronunciation: Reh-NEY
- Variations: Rene
- Namesakes: Renée Zellweger, an American actress and winner of two Academy Awards. Renee Laravie, an American swimmer who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: American birth records show Renee at #1,099 in 2025, after a high of #62 in 1967.
Reverie
Reverie is a word name for a daydream, or the state of being lost in one’s thoughts. It comes from the French resver, meaning to dream. Word names often feel weightless; this one has enough syllables to carry a whole person. Rev and Evie are two ways to shorten it, if the whole word ever feels like too much.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Daydream
- Pronunciation: REHV-eh-Riy
- Popularity: U.S. birth data puts Reverie at #1,976 in 2025, the best it has ever placed.
Rhea
Rhea meant flowing stream in Greek, and its Latin origins point to the poppy flower. In Roman myth she is the daughter of heaven and earth and the mother of the great gods, so the name comes with a lot of family. Two letters of sound and a mythology behind them. It has been on American birth records since the 1880s.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Maiden
- Pronunciation: RIY-ah
- Variations: Rhia, Ria
- Namesakes: Rhea Sikes, an American TV producer for the PBS network. Rhea Taleb, a Lebanese footballer for Safa.
- Popularity: The SSA put Rhea at #639 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1913, at #469.
Rhedyn
Rhedyn is the Welsh word for fern, from the Germanic and Celtic hrati. It also carries having feathery fronds, which is about as delicate as a meaning gets. The Welsh spelling asks for one explanation and then behaves itself. For parents drawn to plant names nobody else is using, this is the one.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Fern
- Pronunciation: RHEH-Din
- Variations: Rhedyne, Rhedynn
- Popularity: Rhedyn has charted only once, in 2016, at #18,304.
Rhett
Rhett means advice, and Latin gives it to speak. It also comes from the Dutch surname de Raedt, meaning advisor. It reads male to most people, which is exactly why a few parents are trying it on daughters. Short, southern-leaning and impossible to shorten further.
- Origin: English, Dutch
- Meaning: Advice
- Pronunciation: REHT
- Variations: Rhet
- Popularity: American birth records show Rhett at #188 in 2025, after a high of #149 in 2021.
Rhiannon
Rhiannon comes from the Celtic rīganī, meaning queen, and reads as great queen or divine feminine. In Celtic myth she is the goddess tied to fertility and the moon. It was not used as a girl’s given name until the twentieth century, which makes it ancient and modern at once. Rhi covers the school-run version of her just fine.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Great queen
- Pronunciation: Riy-AEN-Ahn
- Variations: Rhiannan, Rhiannen, Riannon
- Namesakes: Rhiannon Fish, a Canadian-Australian actress appearing in the TV soap opera Neighbors. Rhiannon Jones, a Welsh novelist and winner of two Prose Medals at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
- Popularity: Rhiannon ranked #1,119 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 1977 best of #418.
Rhoda
Rhoda means rose, or more precisely from Rhodes, the Greek island known for its roses. Welsh hands it a completely different reading, noisy one. It also works as a Greek nickname for Rhodanthe. The name peaked with American grandmothers and is now old enough to sound new again.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Rose
- Pronunciation: ROW-Dah
- Variations: Roda
- Namesakes: Rhoda Perry, an American member of the Rhode Island Senate. Rhoda Shipman, an American comic book writer of the Pakkins’ Land series.
- Popularity: The SSA put Rhoda at #3,338 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1926, at #282.
Rhodanthe
Rhodanthe puts together the Greek rhodon, meaning rose, and anthos, meaning flower. The island of Rhodes was famous for being covered in them. Rhoda and Dani both sit inside it as short forms, if all that ornament feels like too much day to day.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Rose blossom
- Pronunciation: Row-DAEN-Tey
- Variations: Rodanthe, Rhodante, Rodante
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Rhodanthe, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Ria
Ria started as a three-letter short form of Maria and became a name in its own right. In Spanish it points to the mouth of a river, and in Indonesian it means joy and hilarity. Short names have to earn their keep, and this one has two good stories behind it.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Small river
- Pronunciation: RIY-aa
- Variations: Riah
- Namesakes: Ria Antoniou, a Greek beauty pageant titleholder and winner of Miss Peloponnese 2007. Ria Tobing, an Indonesian swimmer and the first woman to represent Indonesia at the 1956 Olympics.
- Popularity: American birth records show Ria at #2,346 in 2025, after a high of #1,150 in 2005.
Rie
Rie may be a variant of Ria, itself a form of Maria, and Japanese gives it value or blessing. Used for boys it has served as a short form of Henry. Ice dancer Rie Arikawa and actress Rie Rasmussen show how far it travels. Ria is the more familiar spelling nearby, if this one feels like too much explaining.
- Origin: Japanese, Dutch
- Meaning: Blessing
- Pronunciation: RIY
- Variations: Ria
- Namesakes: Rie Arikawa, a Japanese ice dancer and winner of two Japanese national titles. Rie Rasmussen, a Danish actress appearing in Brian De Palma’s Femme Fatale.
- Popularity: Rie last appeared in U.S. birth data in 2020 at #17,026, well off its 1992 best of #8,579.
Rieka
Rieka is a German variation of Rica and Ulrica, and it collects meanings around power: power of the world, of the wolf, of the home. Underneath all that it also reads as peaceful ruler, a gentler kind of authority. The spelling looks softer than Rika and sounds the same.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Power of the world
- Pronunciation: RIY-Kah
- Variations: Rika
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Rieka, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Rihanna
Rihanna appears in Arabic as Rihana and means a handful of sweet basil, which is a lovely thing to be named for. It also reads as one of the many Welsh reshapings of Rhiannon. American use spiked in the 2000s and has fallen back hard since, more sharply than any other name on this list.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Sweet basil
- Pronunciation: Riy-AEN-Naa
- Variations: Rihana, Rhianna
- Namesakes: Rhianna Patrick, a Torres Strait Islander radio personality at 4AAA Indigenous Radio Station. Rhianna Pratchett, an English video game writer for Tomb Raider (2013).
- Popularity: Rihanna sits at #2,150 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #311 in 2008.
Rikki
Rikki carries complete ruler and one who rules with a firm hand, which sits oddly beside its listed meaning of forever alone. In Japan it works as a short form of Ritsuki, meaning to discipline. It is unisex in every country that uses it. The double-k spelling gives it a retro snap.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Forever alone
- Pronunciation: RIHK-iy
- Variations: Ricky
- Namesakes: Rikki Mathay, a Philippino Spokesperson in the Senate of the Philippines (2013 to 2018). Ritsuki “Rikki” Nakano, a Japanese folk singer who performed at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Paralympics.
- Popularity: American birth records show Rikki at #3,126 in 2025, after a high of #614 in 1994.
Riku
Riku is a Japanese name meaning land or continent. Finland uses it as a form of Richard for boys, and Japanese also gives it handsome. Land is a grounded meaning for a name that crosses two languages so easily.
- Origin: Japanese, Finnish
- Meaning: Land
- Pronunciation: RIY-Kuw
- Namesakes: Riku Miura, a Japanese pair skater and the 2022 Skate Canada International champion. Riku Moriyama, a Japanese voice actress on the TV series Mahoraba: Heartful Days (2005).
- Popularity: Riku ranked #6,730 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 1999 best of #3,954.
Riley
Riley comes from the Irish surname O’Reilly, built on the Gaelic raghalach, meaning valiant, with an Old English reading of rye meadow behind it. It is the highest-ranked R name for American girls right now, at #48 in 2025. Actress Riley Keough and author Riley Redgate carry it. Popularity is the trade-off, and it is worth knowing that going in.
- Origin: English, Irish
- Meaning: Rye meadow
- Pronunciation: RIY-Liy
- Variations: Rilley, Reilly
- Namesakes: Riley Keough, an American actress, and granddaughter of actress Priscilla Presley and singer Elvis Presley. Riley Redgate (born Ríoghnach Robinson), an American author who wrote for the satirical publication The Onion.
- Popularity: The SSA put Riley at #48 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 2016, at #22.
Ripley
Ripley comes from the Old English ripel, a strip of clearing in the woods, and named the towns that sat between them. It has the brisk, capable sound that surname names tend to have. Ripley Parker, daughter of actress Thandie Newton, is one of its few public bearers. It is having its best American year on record, so other parents are clearly noticing.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Wood clearing
- Pronunciation: RIHP-Liy
- Variations: Riplie, Rypley
- Namesakes: Ripley Parker, daughter of English actress Thandie Newton and Oliver Parker.
- Popularity: Ripley is at its highest U.S. ranking on record, #1,032 for girls born in 2025.
Rishita
Rishita reads as saintly, and its other senses run to divine worshippers and the best. It is a feminine turn on Rishi, and both point toward faith. The sound is precise, three syllables that do not blur into each other. For parents who want a devotional root and almost no American history attached, it fits.
- Origin: Indian
- Meaning: Saintly
- Pronunciation: Rih-SHIY-taa
- Popularity: The SSA has not listed Rishita since 2022, when it ranked #13,308; its high was #8,212 in 2010.
Rita
Rita began as a short form of Margaret and Margarita, both of which lead back to pearl. Saint Rita of Cascia gave it a feast day on May 22 and a long Catholic following. Rita Hayworth made it glamorous for a whole generation of Americans, though use has cooled since its 1930 peak of #42.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Pearl
- Pronunciation: RIY-Tah
- Variations: Ritah
- Namesakes: Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Cansino), an American actress called “The Love Goddess.” Rita Deverell, a Canadian broadcaster and one of the founders of the Canadian TV channel Vision TV.
- Popularity: Rita ranked #1,287 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 1930 best of #42.
River
River comes from the Latin ripa, meaning riverbank, and it does what nature names do: it sets a mood before it says anything else. Actor River Phoenix made the sound familiar on boys. It now sits just outside the top hundred for American girls. Nothing about it needs explaining, which is rare for a name this uncommon-sounding.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Flowing body of water
- Pronunciation: RIYV-er
- Variations: Ryver
- Popularity: The SSA put River at #111 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 2022, at #105.
Rivka
Rivka is the Hebrew original behind Rebecca, built on the R-B-Q root meaning to snare, and it also reads as captivating. It stayed in continuous use in observant Jewish families while the anglicized form went mainstream. It has never ranked higher in the U.S. than it does now. Rivi and Riv are the natural short forms.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: To tie, bind
- Pronunciation: RIYV-Kaa
- Variations: Riva
- Namesakes: Rivka Keren, an Israeli writer of the novel Outrage (2010). Rivka Meir, an American psychologist and chairperson of the American Psychological Association from 2005 to 2012.
- Popularity: U.S. birth data puts Rivka at #629 in 2025, the best it has ever placed.
Riyo
Riyo carries cherry blossom, and Japanese stacks several more readings on top: hero, village, river, son of a warrior. It is also an old Japanese unit of weight, used mainly for silver. Beauty queen Riyo Mori is its best-known bearer. Rio is the shorter spelling nearby, already familiar on its own.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Cherry blossom
- Pronunciation: RIY-ow
- Variations: Rio
- Namesakes: Riyo Mori, a Japanese beauty queen crowned Miss Universe 2007.
- Popularity: Riyo has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Robette
Robette is an Old English and Old German reshaping of Roberta, and both land on bright fame. One older reading gives it as famously famous, which is a lot to live up to. It dropped out of American use decades ago and never came back.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Bright fame
- Pronunciation: Row-BEHT
- Variations: Rubette
- Popularity: Robette last charted in 1964, at #5,883, after first appearing in U.S. birth data in 1956.
Robyn
Robyn is the usual female spelling of Robin, which came from Robert and the German hrod, meaning fame, plus berhtl, meaning bright. It started as a nickname and grew into a full first name. Journalist Robyn Curnow and Tesla chair Robyn Denholm are current bearers. The y is what makes it read female at a glance.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Bright fame
- Pronunciation: RAA-Bihn
- Variations: Robin, Robynn
- Namesakes: Robyn Curnow, a South African journalist and news anchor at CNN Newsroom. Robyn Denholm, the current Australian chairperson of Tesla, Inc.
- Popularity: The SSA put Robyn at #1,441 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1974, at #169.
Rochelle
Rochelle is the female form of Roch, with German roots in rohon, meaning to roar, and hrok, meaning rest. It is also a coastal French city, La Rochelle, which puts a postcard behind the name. American use peaked in the late 1960s and has been quiet ever since. It has stayed rare enough that a Rochelle rarely meets another one at school.
- Origin: French, German
- Meaning: Little rock
- Pronunciation: Raa-SHEHL
- Variations: Roschelle
- Namesakes: Rochelle Ballard, an American surfer who co-founded International Women’s Surfing (IWS). Rochelle Low, a Canadian field hockey player who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Rochelle sits at #4,646 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #236 in 1969.
Rochi
Rochi means light in Hindi, and very little else has been written about it. It turns up as an Italian surname too, and it may work as a short form of Rochana. The name is easy to say in almost any language, which is probably why it has traveled as far as it has.
- Origin: Hindi
- Meaning: Light
- Pronunciation: ROW-Chiy
- Popularity: Rochi is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Rocio
Rocio comes from María del Rocío, one of the Spanish titles for the Virgin Mary, and it translates as the Virgin of the Dew. It is mostly found among Hispanic families and has not crossed over much. Singer Rocío Igarzábal carries the accented spelling. Dew is a gentle image for a name with this much history behind it.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Dew
- Pronunciation: Row-SIY-ow
- Variations: Rosio
- Namesakes: Rocío Igarzábal, an Argentine singer and member of the pop group Teen Angels. Rocío González, a Peruvian Congresswoman from 2006 to 2011.
- Popularity: Rocio ranked #3,377 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 1991 best of #524.
Roisin
Roisin is the Irish diminutive of róis, so it means little rose. The song Róisín Dubh casts Ireland itself as a little dark rose, which gives the name a patriotic layer at home. Outside Ireland it stays rare, largely because the spelling and the sound do not obviously match. Once you have heard ro-SHEEN, it is hard to forget.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Little rose
- Pronunciation: Row-SHEEN
- Namesakes: Roisin McGettigan, an Irish runner and bronze medalist at the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Róisín Shortall, an Irish Minister of State for Primary Care from 2011 to 2012.
- Popularity: Roisin reached #2,716 among American girls born in 2025, its strongest showing yet.
Rolanda
Rolanda is the female form of Roland and means renowned in the land. It had a good run in the American top thousand between 1968 and 1975, then dropped out. Actress Rolanda Chagrin and runner Rolanda Bell keep it in circulation elsewhere. It is a sturdy name that has been out of fashion long enough to sound fresh again.
- Origin: Latin, German
- Meaning: Renowned in the land
- Pronunciation: Row-LAEND-ah
- Variations: Rolonda, Roldana
- Namesakes: Rolanda Chagrin, an Israeli actress and winner of a Golden Rose Award (Rose d’Or). Rolanda Bell, a Panamanian steeplechase runner who competed in the 2019 Pan American Games.
- Popularity: Rolanda last appeared in U.S. birth data in 2015 at #16,041, well off its 1971 best of #800.
Romana
Romana is the feminine of Roman, taken straight from the Latin surname Romanus. Syrian gives it a second reading, above. It has stayed in light use across Central Europe for more than a century. If Roman is on your list for a boy, this is its match.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Roman
- Pronunciation: Row-MAA-naa
- Variations: Romane
- Namesakes: Romana Chrenková, a Czech handballer player for the Czech national team. Romana Jerković, a Croatian Member of the European Parliament since 2020.
- Popularity: American birth records show Romana at #14,578 in 2025, after a high of #1,037 in 1928.
Romy
Romy is tied to rosemary, the herb whose name means dew of the sea, because it grew on coastal cliffs. It works as a short form of Rosemary or as a full name on its own. Chef Romy Gill and bobsledder Romy Logsch both use it alone. It has never ranked higher in the U.S. than it does now, which fits how well it suits the current taste for short names.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Dew of the sea
- Pronunciation: ROW-Miy
- Variations: Romey, Romi, Romie
- Namesakes: Romy Gill, a British/Indian chef and owner at Romy’s Kitchen in South Gloucestershire, England. Romy Logsch, a German bobsledder and gold medalist at the FIBT World Championships in 2007 and 2008.
- Popularity: Romy reached #698 among American girls born in 2025, its strongest showing yet.
Ronette
Ronette is a diminutive of Ronni, itself built on the Hebrew male name Ron. In Hebrew it reads as she who brings joy with songs, a generous thing to hand a child. The -ette ending places it firmly in mid-century America, for better or worse.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Strong counsel
- Pronunciation: Raw-NEHT
- Popularity: Ronette last appeared in U.S. birth data in 1994 at #11,500, well off its 1967 best of #1,393.
Ronit
Ronit means song in Hebrew, with embellishment close behind. Graceful, charming and one who gives happiness all attach to it as well. Actress Ronit Elkabetz gave it real presence on screen. It is crisp, unmistakably Hebrew, and short enough to need no nickname.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Song
- Pronunciation: Roh-NIHT
- Variations: Ranit
- Namesakes: Ronit Elkabetz, an Israeli actress and winner of three Ophir Awards. Ronit Tirosh, an Israeli member of the Knesset between 2006 and 2013.
- Popularity: The SSA has not listed Ronit since 2024, when it ranked #10,713; its high was #2,242 in 2002.
Ronja
Ronja means God’s joyful song in Hebrew, but Scandinavians know it from Astrid Lindgren, who coined this spelling for her 1981 book Ronja Rövardotter. It also serves as a short form of Veronika, bringing true image and winner along with it. The book made it a childhood staple across Sweden. In American data it has barely registered.
- Origin: Scandinavian, Hebrew
- Meaning: Bright, dawn
- Pronunciation: RAHN-Yaa
- Variations: Ronia
- Namesakes: Ronja Hilbig, a German pop singer and member of the group Queensberry. Ronja Aronsson, a Swedish footballer for Piteå IF.
- Popularity: Ronja dropped out of the U.S. data after 2023, when it sat at #14,837 (best: #8,999 in 1970).
Rooney
Rooney is the anglicized form of the Gaelic surname O’ Ruanaidh, from ruanaidh, meaning champion, with hero as a second reading. Actress Rooney Mara turned it from a family surname into a plausible first name for girls. It has climbed quietly ever since. The double o keeps it playful rather than tough.
- Origin: Gaelic
- Meaning: Champion
- Pronunciation: RUW-Niy
- Variations: Roonie, Roony
- Namesakes: Rooney Mara, an American actress appearing in The Social Network film (2010).
- Popularity: Rooney ranked #2,235 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 2024 best of #1,963.
Rooroo
Rooroo is about as rare as a name gets, listed with meanings of friend and companion. Arabic adds honesty, sacrificer and admirer. It reads more like a nickname than a legal name, which some parents will love and others will not. Roo is right there whenever it needs shortening.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: One who is a friend and companion
- Pronunciation: RUW-Ruw
- Variations: Roo
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Rooroo, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Roos
Roos is simply the Dutch word for rose, and the surname de Roos once marked a house carrying the sign of a rose. It also works as a short form of Rosemarijn. Field hockey player Roos Drost and politician Roos Vermeij carry it in the Netherlands. Rose ties it to one of the oldest flower names still in use, just dressed in Dutch.
- Origin: Dutch
- Meaning: Rose
- Pronunciation: ROWZ
- Namesakes: Rosalin “Roos” Drost, a Dutch field hockey player for the Netherlands women’s national team. Rosemarijn (Roos) Vermeij, a Dutch MP between 2006 and 2017.
- Popularity: Roos has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Rory
Rory comes from the Irish Ruaidhri, built from ruadh, meaning red, and ri, meaning king. It was a boys’ name for most of its history and has moved decisively toward girls in the U.S. Filmmaker Rory Kennedy and skater Rory Flack are among its bearers. It has never ranked higher for American girls than it does right now.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Red king
- Pronunciation: RAOR-iy
- Variations: Rori, Rorry
- Namesakes: Rory Kennedy, an American documentary filmmaker and daughter of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Rory Flack, an American figure skater and the first African American woman to win the US Open Professional Figure Skating Championships.
- Popularity: Rory is at its highest U.S. ranking on record, #199 for girls born in 2025.
Rosalind
Rosalind traces to the Old German Roslindis, made of hros, meaning horse, and lindi, meaning serpent, which is a long way from the rose everyone hears in it. Spanish speakers read it as Rosa and Linda joined, the beautiful rose. Actress Rosalind Russell wore it with real polish. Roz is the nickname, and it is a good one.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Gentle horse
- Pronunciation: RAAZ-aa-Lihnd
- Variations: Rosalynde, Rosalinde
- Namesakes: Rosalind Russell, an American actress known for the film His Girl Friday (1940). Rosalind Ashford-Holmes, an American soul singer and member of the Motown group Martha and the Vandellas.
- Popularity: Rosalind ranked #1,521 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 1942 best of #292.
Rosamund
Rosamund comes from the Old German Rosamunda, from hros, meaning horse, and munda, meaning protection. Medieval readers took it as pure rose or rose of the world, and that reading stuck. Rosamund Clifford and actress Rosamund Pike both keep it in the record. It is formal, faintly literary, and shortens neatly to Rosa or Mundy.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Horse protector
- Pronunciation: ROW-zaa-Mahnd
- Variations: Rosamonde, Rosamunde
- Namesakes: Rosamund Clifford, the medieval English mistress of King Henry II. Rosamund Pike, a British actress in The Wheel of Time series.
- Popularity: The SSA put Rosamund at #7,428 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 2017, at #5,157.
Rosangela
Rosangela joins Rose and Angela into a single word, an Italian habit that produces some lovely results. The readings vary on a theme: rose angel, or woman like an angel rose. Brazil took to it more warmly than Italy did. Four syllables is a lot, which is why Rosa and Angie are built right in.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Rose angel
- Pronunciation: Row-ZAHN-geh-LAH
- Variations: Rosangelica
- Popularity: Rosangela last appeared in U.S. birth data in 2020 at #17,047, well off its 1980 best of #2,240.
Rose
Rose is the English word for the flower, from the Latin Rosa, and it has been on American birth records since the 1880s. Its strongest year was 1913. Generations used it as a middle name, which kept it alive through the decades it was out of style. It is close to the top hundred again, and it will still read as classic in fifty years.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Rose (flower)
- Pronunciation: ROWZ
- Variations: Rosie, Rosa
- Namesakes: Rose Kennedy, the American matriarch of the Kennedy family. Rose Combe, a French writer and a leader of Proletarian literature.
- Popularity: American birth records show Rose at #114 in 2025, after a high of #14 in 1913.
Roseanne
Roseanne combines Rose with Ann, which brings favor and grace, so the whole thing reads as gracious rose. Singer Rosanne Cash and comedian Roseanne Barr use different spellings of it. American use peaked around 1950 and has faded a long way since. Both women show how differently the same set of letters can be worn.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Pretty rose
- Pronunciation: Rowz-ANN
- Variations: Roseann, Rosanne
- Namesakes: Rosanne Cash, an American singer-songwriter and the daughter of country musician Johnny Cash. Roseanne Barr, an American comedian, and creator of the TV series Roseanne (1988 to 1997).
- Popularity: Roseanne ranked #5,678 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 1950 best of #550.
Rosemary
Rosemary is the herb first and the name second, and both mean sea dew. It has held a place in the American top thousand for more than a century, which very few names manage. Cook Rosemary Hume and author Rosemary Neering are among its bearers. A name with a century of steady use rarely needs an introduction.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Dew of the sea
- Pronunciation: Rowz-MAER-iy
- Variations: Rosemarey, Rosemari
- Namesakes: Rosemary Hume, an English cook who co-created coronation chicken in 1953. Rosemary Neering, a Canadian author who won the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize in 1992 for Down The Road.
- Popularity: The SSA put Rosemary at #251 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1946, at #74.
Roula
Roula is a Greek reshaping of Mary, and it also serves as a short form of Charoula, for Gracie, and Stavroula, meaning cross. That makes it a nickname that grew into a name, a common Greek path. It is far more familiar in Greece and the Middle East than in the U.S., where only a scattering were ever recorded.
- Origin: Greek, Hebrew
- Meaning: Sea of bitterness
- Pronunciation: RUW-Lah
- Variations: Rula, Rulla, Rullah
- Namesakes: Theodora “Roula” Koromila, a Greek TV presenter for “Mia Kalimera Einai Auti” from 1989 to 1991.
- Popularity: The SSA has not listed Roula since 1987, when it ranked #12,783; its high was #6,115 in 1968.
Roux
Roux started as a French nickname for a red-haired man, from ro(u)s, meaning red, and became a surname for people from Le Roux. Cooks know a roux as the flour and butter base that thickens a sauce, sometimes cooked to a russet color. It is one syllable, spelled in a way that will need explaining forever. Parents who cook seem to love it anyway.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Russet
- Pronunciation: RUW
- Variations: Rou, Ru, Rue
- Popularity: American birth records show Roux at #5,071 in 2025, after a high of #3,417 in 2023.
Rowan
Rowan comes from the Gaelic Ruadhán, meaning little redhead, and it is also the tree, whose dark berries once colored druid robes. It works on boys and girls with no adjustment at all. American parents have pushed it to its highest ranking on record for girls, inside the top sixty. Nature names rarely stay this wearable.
- Origin: Celtic
- Meaning: Famous
- Pronunciation: ROW-ahn
- Variations: Rowann, Rowen
- Namesakes: Rowan Blanchard, an American actress on Time’s list of Most Influential Teens in 2015. Rowan Buchanan, a British-American writer and winner of the 2017 Author’s Club First Novel Award for Harmless Like You.
- Popularity: Rowan is at its highest U.S. ranking on record, #59 for girls born in 2025.
Roxanna
Roxanna traces to the Greek Rhōxanē and the Persian Roshanak, meaning bright star. Roxana, spelled without the double n, was the wife of Alexander the Great, which is about as old as a namesake gets. Poet Roxanna Bennett and activist Roxanna Carrillo carry the fuller spelling. Roxy is the obvious nickname and it has plenty of energy.
- Origin: Greek, Persian
- Meaning: Dawn, bright
- Pronunciation: Rah-KZAHN-ah
- Variations: Roxanne, Roxana
- Namesakes: Roxanna Bennett, a Canadian poet, and winner of the 2020 Trillium Book Award for her book of poems Unmeaningable. Roxanna Carrillo, a Peruvian activist associated with the UN Development Fund for Women.
- Popularity: The SSA put Roxanna at #2,856 for girls born in 2025; its strongest year was 1954, at #575.
Ruby
Ruby comes from the Latin ruber, meaning red, and points straight at the stone. Families have used it since the 19th century, and the ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz did it no harm at all. Actress Ruby Dee gave it real gravity. It is one of only three R names inside the American top hundred for girls right now.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Ruby (stone)
- Pronunciation: RUW-Biy
- Variations: Rubie, Rubye
- Namesakes: Ruby Dee, an American actress best known for the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun (1961). Ruby Schleicher, an Australian rules footballer for the Collingwood Football Club.
- Popularity: Ruby sits at #64 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #23 in 1913.
Rudolfa
Rudolfa is the German female equivalent of Rudolf, built from hrodulf and wulfaz, giving fame and wolf. Fame and glory for the wolf is the full reading, one of the boldest meanings on this list. Czech records hold most of the Rudolfas. It is a heavy name, and that is clearly the point.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Famous wolf
- Pronunciation: Ruw-DAAL-fah
- Popularity: Rudolfa is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Rufina
Rufina is the Italian feminine of Rufus and means redhead. It traveled through Greek, Russian and Spanish naming traditions, picking up queen along the way. Soviet navigator Rufina Gasheva and sprinter Rufina Ubah both carried it. American use peaked before the Second World War and has thinned to almost nothing.
- Origin: Latin, Italian
- Meaning: Redhead
- Pronunciation: Ruw-FIY-naa
- Variations: Ruffina, Rufyna, Ruphina
- Namesakes: Rufina Gasheva, a Soviet navigator during World War II given the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Rufina Ubah, a Nigerian sprinter and bronze medalist at the 1991 All-Africa Games.
- Popularity: Rufina ranked #14,599 among U.S. girls born in 2025, below its 1928 best of #1,390.
Ruhina
Ruhina describes a sweet, almost intoxicating scent. Arabic also gives it spirit and with a soul, which turns a perfume word into something deeper. It is soft the whole way through, with no hard sounds to trip on.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Sweet fragrance
- Pronunciation: Ruw-HEE-naa
- Popularity: Ruhina has never reached the five-birth threshold the SSA needs before it publishes a name.
Rukan
Rukan means reliable, steady, confident, and there is not much more on record about it. The Rukan Islands sit off Indonesia and share the spelling. A name that promises dependability is an unusual thing to give a newborn, and a nice one.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Reliable
- Pronunciation: Ruw-KAEN
- Variations: Rukane, Rukann, Rukanne
- Popularity: Rukan is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Rula
Rula comes from the Latin regula, the root behind model, pattern and example, and it reads as commander. A large tribe in Syria once carried the name, which is why it stayed common across the Middle East. Journalist Rula Jebreal and former first lady Rula Ghani are its best-known bearers. Commander is a bold meaning for five letters, and the name carries it without strain.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Commander
- Pronunciation: RUW-Lah
- Variations: Rulah, Rulla, Rullah
- Namesakes: Rula Jebreal, a Palestinian journalist and commentator for MSNBC. Rula Ghani, the first lady of Afghanistan from 2014 to 2021.
- Popularity: The SSA has not listed Rula since 2018, when it ranked #15,310; its high was #3,200 in 1918.
Rumi
Rumi reads as peaceful and good in Arabic, while Japanese gives it beauty and flow, sometimes tied to lapis lazuli. The thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi is the association most people will bring to it. It is at its highest American ranking on record. No nickname really fits it, and none is needed.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Peaceful, good
- Pronunciation: RUW-Miy
- Variations: Rumy
- Namesakes: Rumi Okubo, a Japanese voice actress appearing in Fate/Apocrypha. Rumi Utsugi, a Japanese footballer for Tokyo Verdy Beleza.
- Popularity: Rumi reached #1,283 among American girls born in 2025, its strongest showing yet.
Rupetta
Rupetta is a rare Old English and Old German turn on Roberta, meaning bright fame. It has no popularity record and no famous bearers to speak of. Nike Sulway used it as the title of a science fiction novel, which is the closest thing it has to a public life. That leaves it wide open.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Famous
- Pronunciation: Ruw-PEHT-ah
- Variations: Rubetta
- Popularity: Rupetta is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Ruth
Ruth comes from the Hebrew re’ut, meaning companion. In the Bible she is King David’s great-grandmother, and her story is one of loyalty, which is what the name has come to stand for. It was a top-five American name in the 1910s and still ranks among U.S. births in 2025. Ruthie softens it if the single syllable feels too plain.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Friend
- Pronunciation: RUWTH
- Variations: Ruthie, Ruthe
- Namesakes: Ruth Wilson, an English actress known for the BBC crime drama Luther (2010 to 2013). Ruth Jones, a British Member of Parliament since 2019.
- Popularity: Ruth sits at #173 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #5 in 1913.
Rutvi
Rutvi is associated with the words love and saint, and it also gathers season of goodness, prosperity, blossom and wish. Few names hand a child that many good things at once. It is short, evenly stressed and easy for English speakers, which is not always true of Hindi names.
- Origin: Hindi
- Meaning: Joy, happiness
- Pronunciation: RUWT-Viy
- Popularity: American birth records show Rutvi at #9,982 in 2025, after a high of #8,342 in 2024.
Ruyah
Ruyah means dream or vision, and traces back to the Arabic ruqia, meaning rise or ascent, or ruqyah, meaning spell or incantation. Ruya, originally Ruqayya, was a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, which gives the name deep standing in Muslim families. It is rarely seen in American records at all.
- Origin: Somalian, Arabic
- Meaning: Dream, vision
- Pronunciation: RUW-yah
- Popularity: Ruyah is too rare for U.S. federal name data, which leaves out any name given to fewer than five babies in a year.
Ružica
Ružica is a Serbo-Croatian name built on Ruža, meaning rose, so the whole thing reads as little Rosie. It is not much used outside the Balkans and Austria. Basketball player Ružica Meglaj-Rimac has a cup named after her. The ž will need explaining in English, and it is worth the trouble.
- Origin: Croatian
- Meaning: Graceful, one who feeds others
- Pronunciation: RUW-zih-Kaa
- Variations: Ruža
- Namesakes: Ružica Meglaj-Rimac, a Yugoslav-Croatian basketball player who the Ružica Meglaj-Rimac Cup is named after. Ružica Sokić, a Serbian actress who last appeared in the 2015 film Otvoreni kavez.
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Ružica, since it stays under the SSA’s five-birth publication cutoff.
Ryann
Ryann takes the Gaelic Rian, meaning king, and adds a second n to signal a daughter. Some connect it to Rhiannon and her Celtic moon goddess, a prettier association than little king. Athlete Ryann Krais and actress Ryann Shane both use this spelling. It is the kind of name that gets spelled out on the phone forever.
- Origin: Irish, Gaelic
- Meaning: Little king
- Pronunciation: RYE-aen
- Variations: Ryan, Rhyanne
- Namesakes: Ryann Krais, an American track and field athlete and gold medalist at the 2007 World Youth Championships. Ryann Shane, an American actress, appearing in the Cinemax series Banshee.
- Popularity: Ryann sits at #1,288 in the 2025 U.S. rankings, down from #697 in 2006.
Ryder
Ryder was an occupational name for a mounted warrior or a knight, from the English ridere, meaning to ride a horse. It has the momentum that surname names tend to carry. American parents use it far more for boys, though it still ranks #133 for U.S. girls in 2025. The y makes it modern; the meaning keeps it from being weightless.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Cavalryman
- Pronunciation: RIYD-er
- Variations: Rider
- Popularity: American birth records show Ryder at #133 in 2025, after a high of #95 in 2014.
