AHEAD: The ultimate list of R names for boys—plus their meanings and popularity.

If you’re looking for a cool boys’ name starting with the letter R, you’re in the right place!

Below, I’ve rounded up every single R name that’s even the slightest bit modern and cool.

For each name, you’ll find its meaning and current popularity—which will hopefully help you narrow down your list of favorites.

There are 63 “R” names ranking in the top 1000.

There are also a bunch of other great R names that are more rare (without being too out there).

Feel free to use the Table of Contents to jump to a specific style, or keep on scrolling and view all of these cool boys’ names starting with the letter R.

Related: Girl Names that Start with R

​Cool boy names that start with R

Kicking off our list of “R” names with some cool monikers that are popular in the United States right now. All of these are in the top 800.

Raiden or Rayden

• Name meaning: Thunder and lightning.
• Popularity: Raiden ranks #383 and Rayden is #700.

Reid or Reed

• Name meaning: Red-haired. A tall grass.
• Popularity: Reid ranks #299 and Reed is #416.

Rex

• Name meaning: King. (Also reminiscent of the dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex).
• Popularity: #696

Rhett

• Name meaning: Advice.
• Popularity: #148

Ridge

• Name meaning: A chain of mountains or hills.
• Popularity: #558

Riggs

• Name meaning: One who lives by the ridge.
• Popularity: #786

Roman

• Name meaning: Citizen of Rome.
• Popularity: #75

Ronan or Ronin

• Name meaning: Little seal.
• Popularity: Ronan ranks #274 and Ronin is #438.

Ruben or Reuben

• Name meaning: Behold, a son.
• Popularity: Ruben ranks #460 and Reuben is #883.

Russell

• Name meaning: Red-headed.
• Popularity: #352

Ryker or Riker

• Name meaning: Rich. (Will Riker is First Officer on the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation.)
• Popularity: #153

If you like these cool boy names that start with R you’ll also like this list of southern names.

​Gender-neutral “R” names

All of these R names would work for a boy or a girl.

Radley

• Name meaning: Red meadow.
• Popularity: This ‘rad’ name isn’t ranking for either gender.

Reagan

• Name meaning: Little king.
• Popularity: This name hasn’t ranked for boys since 2017. It currently ranks #126 for girls.

Reign

• Name meaning: Rule or sovereign.
• Popularity: This one-syllable name ranks #608 for boys and #349 for girls.

Remington

• Name meaning: Raven.
• Popularity: Remington ranks #231 for boys and #348 for girls.

Remy or Remi

• Name meaning: Oarsman. One who drives a boat forward.
• Popularity: For boys, Remy ranks #357 and Remi is #720. For girls, Remy ranks #550 and Remi is #122.

Rhys or Reece or Reese

• Name meaning: Fiery, enthusiastic, and passionate.
• Popularity: For boys, Rhys ranks #413, Reece is #579, and Reese is #701. For girls, Reese ranks #147 and the other spellings aren’t ranking.

Related: Middle Names for Reese

Ridley

• Name meaning: Cleared wood.
• Popularity: This name isn’t ranking for either gender.

Rigby

• Name meaning: Ridge farm.
• Popularity: This name isn’t ranking for either gender.

Riley

• Name meaning: Wood clearing or courageous.
• Popularity: Riley ranks #246 for boys and #37 for girls.

Ripley

• Name meaning: Strip of clearing in the woods.
• Popularity: This name isn’t ranking for either gender.

River

• Name meaning: Stream of water.
• Popularity: This nature name ranks #110 for boys and #151 for girls.

Robin

• Name meaning: Bright and shining. A red-breasted songbird.
• Popularity: Robin ranks #896 for boys and #916 for girls.

Rory

• Name meaning: Red king.
• Popularity: Rory ranks #295 for boys and #396 for girls.

Rowan or Rowen

• Name meaning: Reddish-brown tree known for its scarlet berries and mystical history.
• Popularity: For boys, Rowan ranks #106 and Rowen is #539. For girls, Rowan ranks #241 and Rowen isn’t ranking.

Ryan

• Name meaning: Little king.
• Popularity: Ryan ranks #66 for boys and #495 for girls.

Ryder

• Name meaning: Horseman.
• Popularity: Ryder ranks #111 for boys and #993 for girls.

Rylan or Ryland

• Name meaning: Island meadow or rye land.
• Popularity: For boys, Rylan ranks #338 and Ryland is #566. For girls, Rylan ranks #950 and Ryland isn’t ranking.

If you like these gender-neutral names that start with the letter R you’ll also like this list of nonbinary names.

​Rare “R” names

These boys’ names starting with R are perfect if you want something a little edgy and unusual.

Radigan

• Name meaning: To uproot. Someone who lives on a patch of cleared land.
• Popularity: This boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Ramsay or Ramsey

• Name meaning: Low-lying land. Also means garlic island… good for keeping away vampires!
• Popularity: This boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Ranger

• Name meaning: Forest guardian.
• Popularity: This boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Reeves

• Name meaning: Bailiff.
• Popularity: This fancy boy’s name ranking.

Renley

• Name meaning: Invented name. Renley Baratheon is a character in Game of Thrones.
• Popularity: This royal boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Reno

• Name meaning: Might mean born again. A city in Nevada best known for its casinos and tourism.
• Popularity: This city name hasn’t ranked since 1926.

Rhode or Rhodes

• Name meaning: Woodland clearing.
• Popularity: Neither spelling of this boys’ name is ranking.

Rivo

• Name meaning: Stream.
• Popularity: This rare boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Robinson

• Name meaning: Son of Robin.
• Popularity: This boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Rod

• Name meaning: Short for Roderick or Rodney meaning famous ruler and Hroda’s island, respectively.
• Popularity: This boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Roderick

• Name meaning: Famous ruler.
• Popularity: This German boys’ name last ranked in 2012.

Rosen

• Name meaning: Roses.
• Popularity: This plant-inspired boys’ name isn’t ranking.

Ross

• Name meaning: A narrow piece of land that projects from a coastline into the sea. Might also mean horse.
• Popularity: This boys’ name hasn’t ranked since 2012.

Ryman

• Name meaning: Woodland clearing. (The Ryman Auditorium is a famous concert venue in Nashville).
• Popularity: This boys’ name isn’t ranking.

If you like these rare boy names that start with R you might also like this list of space names for boys or these edgy names.

​Unique “R” names

All of these boy names that start with R are unique but not obscure.

Raylan

• Name meaning: Invented name.
• Popularity: #641

Rocco

• Name meaning: Rest.
• Popularity: #502

Rocky

• Name meaning: Rest. Full of rocks.
• Popularity: #881

Rohan

• Name meaning: Several possible meanings including red-haired, spiritual, and accompanying dew.
• Popularity: #797

Romeo

• Name meaning: Pilgrim to the city of Rome.
• Popularity: #349

Royal

• Name meaning: Having the status of a monarch or a member of their family.
• Popularity: #370

Royce

• Name meaning: Son of the king.
• Popularity: #392

If you like these unique boy names that start with R you might also like this list of 3-syllable names.

Global “R” names

This next batch of exotic R names comes from across the globe.

Rafael or Raphael

• Name meaning: God has healed.
• Popularity: Rafael is #237 and Raphael is #538.

Raul

• Name meaning: Spanish version of Ralph, meaning counsel wolf or famous wolf.
• Popularity: #606

Rayan

• Name meaning: Watered, plentiful, or heaven’s flower.
• Popularity: #662

Rey

• Name meaning: King.
• Popularity: Rey ranks #762 and Ray is #840.

Ricardo

• Name meaning: Portuguese and Spanish version of Richard, meaning powerful, brave, or strong.
• Popularity: #346

Rio

• Name meaning: River. Rio de Janeiro is a city in Brazil.
• Popularity: #672

Roberto

• Name meaning: Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese version of Robert, meaning bright fame or shining with glory.
• Popularity: #507

Rodrigo

• Name meaning: Spanish and Portuguese version of Roderick, meaning famous ruler.
• Popularity: #570

Rome

• Name meaning: The capital and largest city in Italy.
• Popularity: #785

If you like these global boy names that start with R you may also like this list of French boy names.

“R” names that are past their prime

IMHO, the following R boys’ names have seen better days.

That said, as you’ll see by their rankings, plenty of people disagree with me! All of these names are in the top 1000.

Randy

• Name meaning: Short for Randall or Randolph, meaning shield wolf.
• Popularity: #917

Raymond or Ramon

• Name meaning: Counseling protector or famous protector.
• Popularity: Raymond ranks #330 and Ramon is #768.

Rene

• Name meaning: Reborn.
• Popularity: #964

Richard

• Name meaning: Powerful, brave, strong.
• Popularity: #216

Ricky

• Name meaning: Short for Richard, meaning powerful, brave, or strong.
• Popularity: #770

Robert

• Name meaning: Bright fame. Shining with glory.
• Popularity: #79

Rodney

• Name meaning: Hroda’s island.
• Popularity: #965

Roger

• Name meaning: Renowned spear.
• Popularity: #686

Roland

• Name meaning: Famous land.
• Popularity: #668

Ronald

• Name meaning: Advice + ruler.
• Popularity: #563

Roy

• Name meaning: King or red.
• Popularity: #551

Rudy

• Name meaning: Short for Rudolph, meaning famous wolf.
• Popularity: #819

More baby names for boys:

• One Syllable Boy Names for Modern Little Dudes
• 100+ Space Names for Babies that are Actually Cool
• 135 Short Boy Names for Modern Babies

Final thoughts on “R” boy names

Hopefully, you’ve found a few lead contenders on this list, or at least come away with some baby name inspiration.

Whether you prefer a name that’s cool, gender-neutral, rare, unique, or global, all of these boys’ names are fantastic choices.

Congratulations and good luck choosing the perfect name for your son!

Boy Names that Start with R