Neutral names starting with R

An alphabetical list of neutral names starting with R, continued from the names page, which see for more information. These are neutral-gender names, otherwise known as unisex names. They are equally appropriate for girls, boys, and people of any gender. Nonbinary people don't have to have neutral names, and many notable nonbinary people have names that are usually either masculine or feminine. Neutral names can help make it safer for people to explore their gender expressions. In English-speaking countries, some of the most familiar gender-neutral names starting with R include Red, Rene, Rey, Riley, and Robin. However, there are many more unisex names from around the world that start with A, more than 30 of them, as listed below. Previous page: neutral names starting with Q. Next page: neutral names starting with S.

The list
Rahat (رهط). Arabic. Meaning "Comfort, rest." US Social Security Administration data shows about 381 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 83% of the time. Keywords: masculine inclined, peace, two syllables

Rain. English. A modern name. Meaning "Rainy weather" in English. US SSA data shows about 627 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 81% of the time. Variants; Raine, Rainn, Rayne. Notable nonbinary people with this name include model Rain Dove. Keywords: elements, English word name, feminine inclined, modern, nature, one syllable, water.

Raine. English. Possibly from the word reine, meaning "Queen" in French. US SSA data shows about 659 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 84% of the time. Keywords: feminine inclined, nobility, one syllable

Raleigh. English. Pronounced "RAW-lee" or "RAH-lee." From the surname, from the place name. Meaning "Roe deer clearing" in Old English. US SSA data shows about 5,827 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 83% of the time. Keywords: animals, forest, masculine inclined, nature, two syllables

Rayan or Rayyan (ريّان). Arabic. A given name, and the name of one of the gates of Paradise in Islam. Meaning "Watered, luxuriant" in Arabic. US SSA data shows about 293 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 85% of the time. Keywords: masculine inclined, Muslim, two syllables, water

Reagan. English. This became a given name in the 1970s, before Ronald Reagan was president of the US. Then the given name largely disappeared from popularity during his term. It became popular as a given name just after his term ended. The Reagan administration's inaction against the contemporary AIDS epidemic has been condemned as an intentional act of genocide against LGBT people, who were affected by it the most. The given name comes from the Irish surname, Reagan, which is anglicized from the Irish surname Ó Ríagáin. Meaning "Descendant of Riagán." Riagán is an Irish masculine given name, possibly meaning "Impulsive." US SSA data shows about 5,423 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 88% of the time. SSA data shows about 70 with the variant Reegan, feminine 80% of the time. SSA data shows about 6891 with the variant Regan, feminine 82% of the time. Keywords: two syllables

Rebel. English. Meaning "One who opposes an authority; one who renounces and resists one's government; one who acts in opposition or disobedience" in English. Ultimately from Latin rebellō "I fight back." US SSA data shows about 813 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 54% of the time. Keywords: anarchy, battle, English word name, neutral inclined, punk, two syllables

Redell. English. Meaning "Red meadow." This was a rare neutral name in the Edwardian era. US SSA data shows about 427 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 80% of the time. Keywords: colours, earth, Edwardian era, nature, plants, two syllables

Reese. English and Welsh. Traditionally masculine, became neutral in the 1990s. Neutral anglicized form of the Welsh masculine name Rhys. Meaning "Enthusiasm." US SSA data shows about 5628 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 64% of the time.

Rei (れい). Japanese. Meaning depends on the kanji characters with the same pronunciation used to spell it. Some options include "bell" (鈴) or "beautiful" (麗). In Japan, this is a feminine name, but US SSA data shows about 464 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 54% of the time. Keywords: one syllable, two syllables

Reign. English. A modern name. Meaning "royal authority; the influence of one resembling a monarch; the time during which someone rules" in English. US SSA data shows about 65 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 67% of the time. Keywords: English word name, nobility, one syllable

Remedy. English. A modern name. Meaning "A treatment that relieves or cures a disease; something that corrects or counteracts; the legal means to recover a right or to prevent or obtain redress for a wrong" in English. Keywords: English word name, healing, rebirth, three syllables

Remi. This name appears in various cultures, which each have their own views on whether it is masculine, feminine, or neutral. 1. Yoruba. Feminine. Short form of the feminine name Oluremi, meaning "The Lord God consoles me" in Yoruba. 2. English. Neutral. Anglicized variant of the French masculine name Rémy, meaning "Oarsman." 3. English. Masculine. Short form of the masculine name Jeremiel, from Hebrew Yerachme'el (יְרַחְמְאֵל), meaning "God will have pity," which is the name of several men in the Hebrew Bible, and an apochryphal archangel who is also called Remiel or Uriel. US SSA data shows about 1653 people have been named Remi, used as a feminine name 71% of the time. Keywords: angels, Christian, Godly, gothic, mercy, nautical, two syllables, water

Remy. English. Neutral. Anglicized variant of the French masculine name Rémy, meaning "Oarsman," which is a saint name. US SSA data shows about 3171 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 56% of the time. Keywords: nautical, saint name, two syllables, water

Ren. Japanese. Meaning depends on the kanji characters with the same pronunciation used to spell it. Some options include "lotus" (蓮) or "love" (恋). US SSA data shows about 3181 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 88% of the time. Keywords: one syllable

Rene. English. Pronounced "rə-NAY." Since the Edwardian era, this has been a gender-neutral anglicized form of the masculine name René and the feminine name Renée. Both of those come from the masculine late Roman name Renatus, meaning "Born again" in Latin. Rene was especially popular as a neutral name during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. US SSA data shows about 102,069 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 67% of the time. Keywords: 20th century, Christian, midcentury modern era, neutral inclined, rebirth, two syllables

Rennie. English. Pronounced "RIN-ee." Neutral diminutive of names such as neutral Rene, feminine Irene, and masculine Rennard and Warren. US SSA data shows about 2159 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 54% of the time. Keywords: neutral inclined, two syllables

Reon (れおん). Japanese. Borrowed from the English, German, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Dutch, and Greek masculine name Leon, meaning "Lion" in Greek. In Japanese, the meaning depends on the kanji characters with the same pronunciation chosen to spell it. Some options include "beautiful sound" (麗音) and "jasmine center" (莉央). Keywords: three syllables, two syllables

Reyes. Spanish. Pronounced "REH-yes." Meaning "kings." From one of the titles of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de los Reyes, "the Virgin of the Kings," from a legend in which she appeared to a king. US SSA data shows about 15,388 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 88% of the time. Keywords: Catholic, Christian, masculine inclined, nobility, two syllables

Ricci. English and Filipino. Pronounced "REE-chee" or "RIH-kee." From the Italian surname Ricci, meaning "curly hair," or a variant spelling of the masculine name Ricky, from Richard, meaning "Brave ruler." US SSA data shows about 1704 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 51% of the time. Keywords: neutral inclined, nobility, two syllables

Ricki. English. Popular as a neutral name during the 1940s and 1950s. Neutral diminutive form of the masculine name Richard, meaning "Brave ruler." US SSA data shows about 5488 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 66% of the time. Keywords: midcentury modern era, neutral inclined, nobility, two syllables

Ridley. English. Pronounced "RID-lee." From the surname, from the place name, meaning "Reed meadow" in Old English. Ridley also happens to be a word for a couple of types of sea turtle. US SSA data shows about 93 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 73% of the time. Keywords: animals, nature, nautical, plants, two syllables, water

Riley. English. Popular as a neutral name in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. From the surname Riley. Meaning "Rye meadow" in Old English. Riley also happens to be a word meaning "Turbid, angry" in modern English. US SSA data shows about 13,331 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 50% of the time. Nonbinary characters in fiction bearing this name include genderfluid Riley Cavanaugh in the book Symptoms of Being Human. Keywords: emotions, nature, neutral inclined, plants, punk, two syllables

Rio. English. This became a neutral given name starting in the 1990s in English-speaking countries. After the city in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, meaning "River of January" in Portuguese. US SSA data shows about 1184 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 58% of the time. Keywords: neutral inclined, travel, two syllables, water

Ripley. English. Pronounced "RIP-lee." A neutral name, from a surname, from the name of several towns in England. Meaning "Strip of land meadow" in Old English. Keywords: earth, two syllables

River. English. This became a neutral given name in the UK and US starting in the 1990s. Meaning "A natural stream of water" in English. US SSA data shows about 1314 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 72% of the time. Keywords: English word name, nature, two syllables, water

Robin. English. Meaning "the red-breasted songbird" in English. Or a diminutive of the masculine name Robert, meaning "fame." US SSA data shows about 389,447 people have been named Robin, used as a feminine name 88% of the time. About 64,992 people have had the variant Robyn, used as a feminine name 98% of the time, so this variant is more strictly feminine. About 12,463 people have had the variant Robbin, used as a feminine name 84% of the time. Keywords: air, animals, birds, English word names, nature, two syllables. Nonbinary characters in fiction with this name include Robin in the romance novel Unmasked by the Marquess.

Rory. English. Pronounced "RAWR-ee." Traditionally masculine, this began to chart as a gender-neutral name in the 2000s. Anglicized form of the masculine Irish name Ruaidhrí. Meaning "Red king" in Irish. "Rory-tory" also happens to be slang for "dashing, flamboyant, and boisterous" in some dialects in England. US SSA data shows about 17,222 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 81% of the time. Keywords: colours, flamboyant, masculine inclined, nobility, two syllables

Rosario. In Spanish, this name is feminine and pronounced "ro-SA-ryo," but in Italian, it is masculine and pronounced "ro-ZA-ryo." Either way, it means "Rosary," and comes from one of the titles of the Virgin Mary, "Our Lady of the Rosary." In the US, it was usually used as a masculine name from the 1900s to 1940s, and more as a feminine name from the 1930s to 1970s. In France, demographics show it was about equally used as a feminine and masculine name during the 1960s. US SSA data shows about 48,490 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 68% of the time. Keywords: Catholic, Christian, midcentury modern era, neutral inclined, three syllables

Rotem (רוֹתֶם). Hebrew. From the name of a desert plant,English name "broom plant," scientific name Retama raetam. In Israel, Rotem is typically a feminine name, though it is considered gender neutral. US SSA data shows about 139 people have had this name, used as a feminine name 81% of the time. Keywords: feminine inclined, plants, two syllables

Rowan. English. Meaning "The rowan tree, also called the mountain ash tree" in English. Or from an Irish surname, anglicized from Ó Ruadháin, meaning "Descendant of Ruadhán." US SSA data shows about 1,616 people have had this name, used as a masculine name 58% of the time. Keywords: English word names, food, forest, nature, neutral inclined, plants, two syllables

Rylan. English. A modern name originating in the 2000s. It may have come from the names Ryland, Ryan, or Riley. Ryland means "Rye land" in Old English, whereas Ryan means "Descendant of the little king" in Irish, and Riley mans "Rye meadow" in Old English. US SSA data shows about 501 people have been named Rylan, used as a masculine name 86% of the time. Keywords: 2000s, earth, food, masculine inclined, modern, nature, nobility plants, two syllables

Ryō, Ryou (りょう). Japanese. Meaning "Good" (良), or other meanings depending on which kanji characters with the same pronunciation are chosen to write it. Keywords: one syllable, two syllables