Remy Name Meaning (Origin, Popularity & Nicknames)

What Does Remy Mean?

Remy is a French unisex name from the Latin Remigius, meaning “oarsman.” Remigius derives from “remigis,” meaning “rower” and “oarsman,” and “remedium,” meaning “cure” and “remedy.” Remy is also a surname, meaning “from Rheims.”

In Nigeria, Remy/Remi is a short form of the Yoruban Oluremi, meaning “God comforts me.” In Gaelic, Remy/Remi means “the dominant ones” or “the first” of early Gaulish tribes. It can refer to “heaven’s pupil” in Japanese and is also associated with Remi the Weeper, the Egyptian fish god.

What Is the Origin of the Name Remy?

Remy comes from the Latin Remigius, meaning “oarsman” or “remedy.” It’s associated with the French city of Rheims in Champagne, France. Remy was well-known as a name in the Middle Ages, especially for those from Rheims or seafarers. The 6th-century Saint Remy was the Bishop of Reims and “Apostle of the Franks.” He is known for baptizing Clovis I on Christmas Day and is the patron saint of France. Remy became a stand-in nickname for both Remigius and Remedius.

In the 21st century, Remy began to find more use as a girl’s name. It’s considered a nickname for everything from Remiel and Jeremy to Jeremiah.

How Popular Is the Name Remy?

Remy ranked in the top 1,200 names in the U.S. in the last few years. It stayed in the top 1,000 U.S. boys’ names since it appeared in 2009. Remy cracked the top 1,000 girls’ names in the U.S. in 2014, peaking at 497th in 2020. The alternate spelling, Remi, seems more popular for girls, with three times as many American girls named Remi in 2020.

In France, Remy ranked 357th overall in 2014.

How Do I Pronounce Remy?

Remy is pronounced “REH-Miy” in English.

Is Remy a Boy or Girl Name?

Remy is officially a unisex name but is more popular for boys than girls.

Variations of Remy

Most spelling variations of Remy are French, with a couple of exceptions:

• Remee (French)
• Remey (French)
• Remi (French)
• Remie (French)
• Remme (French)
• Remmee (Arabic)
• Remmey (English)
• Remmi (French)
• Remmie (English)
• Remmy (French)
• Rhemmy (French)
• Rhemy (French)

Nicknames for Remy

You’ll be surprised at some of these cool nicknames for Remy:

• Em
• Emmy
• MeeMee
• Mimi
• Rem
• RemRem
• Rems
• ReRe

Similar Names to Remy

Many of these names, similar to Remy, also begin with R:

• Declan
• Emery
• Finley
• Harper
• Jeremy
• Kai
• Luca
• Parker
• Ramsey
• Reese
• Rex
• Ricky
• Riley
• River
• Ronnie
• Rory
• Rowan
• Rune
• Sage

Middle Names for Remy

Remy looks grand right before any of these fine middle names:

• Ace
• Alexander
• Ash
• Blake
• Charles
• Chase
• Christopher
• Clark
• Dean
• Eli
• Ezra
• Hugh
• Jace
• Martin
• Mason
• Niall
• Pearce
• Silas
• Tyler

Sibling Names for Remy

Kids named Remy will have tons of fun with these sibling names by their side:

• Andre
• Beau
• Chase
• Elise
• Emily
• Finn
• Jean
• Lacey
• Lyon
• Magnus
• Malory
• Mika
• Nina
• Oliver
• Percy
• Petra
• Roman
• Romy
• Russell
• Trey

Famous People Named Remy

People named Remy have many unique accomplishments that made them famous:

• Rémy Belvaux: Belgian actor appearing in “Man Bites Dog” (1992).
• Rémy Cabella: French footballer for Lille.
• Remy Charlip: American children’s book author of over 40 books.
• Rémy Désilets: Member of the Canadian National Assembly.
• Rémy Di Gregorio: French cyclist for Astana.
• Remy Gardner: Australian racer who won the 2021 Moto2 World Championship.
• Remy Hamilton: American football kicker for the Detroit Lions.
• Remy Hermoso: Venezuelan baseball player for the Atlanta Braves.
• Remy Hii: Australian actor appearing in the series “Marco Polo.”
• Remy Keo: Member of the Cambodian parliament.
• Remy Martin: American basketball player for Keflavík.
• Remy McBain: Puerto Rican volleyball player for the national team.
• Remy Munasifi: Arab American comedian and YouTuber.
• Rémy Pointereau: Member of the French Senate.
• Remy Presas: Filipino martial artist with Modern Arnis.
• Remy Ryan: American actress known for “RoboCop 3” (1993).
• Rémy Trudel: Member of the Canadian National Assembly.
• Rémy Vincent Andrianjanaka: Member of the Malaysian Senate of Madagascar.
• Remy Wellen: German ice hockey player with Krefelder EV 1936.

Remy in Popular Culture

You’ll discover more than a couple of Remys in pop culture, in addition to “Ratatouille”:

• Detective Lieutenant Remy McSwain: Character in the film “The Big Easy.”
• Dr. Remy “Thirteen” Hadley: Character appearing in the TV series “House, M.D.”
• Remy: Character from the TV series “New Girl.”
• Remy: Character in the video game Street Fighter.
• Remy: Male rat chef and lead character in the film “Ratatouille.”
• Remy: Minor character in the movie “Higher Learning.”
• Remy Baudouin: Name of a character in “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” series.
• Remy Bones: Chef character in the Disney Junior series “Vampirina.”
• Remy Buxaplenty: character in the kids’ show “The Fairly OddParents.”
• Remy Danton: Character appearing in the Netflix series “House of Cards.”
• Remy LeBeau: Character also known as Romit in the “X-Men” comics.
• Rémy Legaludec: Character from the book and film “The Da Vinci Code.”
• Remy Marathe: Character in David Foster Wallace’s 1996 novel “Infinite Jest.”
• Remy Remington: Character in the animated series “Big City Greens.”
• Remy Scott: Character from the TV series “FBI: Most Wanted.”
• Remy Starr: Character in the novel “This Lullaby” by Sarah Dessen.

Remy FAQs

Become more knowledgeable about the French name Remy.

Why Is the Name Remy So Popular?

Though Remy dates back to the Middle Ages, it became a sensation as a modern name due to the 2007 Disney film Ratatouille. The star of the film is a heroic chef (also a rat!) named Remy. His nickname in the movie is the “Little Chef.” Remy has also appeared as a character’s name in films and series like “Da Vinci Code,” “New Girl,” and “The Fairly Oddparent.”

Is Remy a Good Dog Name?

Remy is quite popular among pet names in general. It’s said to have been given to both dogs and cats for a few centuries now. As a pet name, Remy is most popular in the U.S., currently ranked 24th for male cats and 28th for male dogs. When it comes to female pets, Remy ranked 61st for American cats and 66th for dogs.

Is Remy Short for Jeremy?

Remy was first the short form of the Latin Remigius. Today, it can be short for other names, including Remington and Jeremy. It fits in since Jeremy is the Anglo variation of the Hebrew Jeremiah. Jeremy means “God will raise” or “God will loosen,” but by calling Jeremy Remy, the meaning switches to “oarsman” or “remedy.”