Surnames Starting with R

usage
Rácz Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian rác meaning "Rascian", a former name for Serbians who lived in the Habsburg Empire.
Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.
Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.
Rademaker Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".
Radev Bulgarian
Means "son of Rade", a diminutive of Radoslav, Radomir, or other names beginning with рад (rad).
Radić Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic derived from the given name Rade.
Radkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Radko".
Radu Romanian
From the given name Radu.
Rae Scottish
Variant of McRae.
Rafferty Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Rabhartaigh meaning "descendant of Rabhartach". The given name Rabhartach means "flood tide".
Ragno Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.
Raimondi Italian
Derived from the given name Raimondo.
Raines English
Originally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).
Rains English
Variant of Raines.
Rais Italian
Occupational name for the fisherman in charge of the boat, from Italian rais "captain", of Arabic origin. It is typical of Sicily and Sardinia.
Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".
Rakes English
Variant of Rake.
Ralston Scottish
Originally denoted a person from Ralston, Scotland, which was derived from the given name Ralph combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.
Ramírez Spanish
Means "son of Ramiro" in Spanish.
Ramos Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin ramus meaning "branch".
Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.
Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.
Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.
Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.
Randell English
Derived from the given name Randel.
Randrup Danish
From the name of homesteads in Denmark (in Viborg or Rebild municipalities).
Raneri Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Raniero.
Ranta Finnish
Originally indicated a person who lived near the shore, from Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".
Rantanen Finnish
From Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".
Rao 1 Indian, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king".
Rao 2 Italian
Derived from the given name Raul.
Rapallino Italian
From the name of the town of Rapallo near Genoa.
Rapp 1 Swedish
From Swedish rapp meaning "quick, prompt", one of the names adopted by soldiers in the 17th century.
Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.
Raptis Greek
Means "tailor" in Greek.
Rasch German
German form of Rask.
Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.
Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.
Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.
Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".
Rasputin Russian
From Russian распутье (rasputye) meaning "crossroads". A famous bearer was the Russian mystic Grigoriy Rasputin (1869-1916).
Ratti Italian
From Italian ratto meaning "rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".
Rautio Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.
Ravenna Italian
From the name of the city of Ravenna in northern Italy, which is of uncertain origin, possibly Etruscan.
Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.
Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.
Rayne English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".
Italian
Italian form of Rey 1.
Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.
Read 2 English
From Old English ryd, an unattested form of rod meaning "cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".
Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".
Ready 2 Scottish
Originally denoted a person from Reedie farm in Angus, Scotland.
Ready 3 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Rodagh.
Reagan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Riagáin meaning "descendant of Riagán". A famous bearer was American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
Reardon Irish
Variant of Riordan.
Rebane Estonian
Means "fox" in Estonian.
Redondo Spanish
Means "round" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Reece Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.
Reed English
Variant of Read 1.
Reenberg Danish
Meaning unknown. The second element is probably from Old Norse berg "mountain" (modern Danish bjerg).
Rees Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.
Reese 1 Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.
Reese 2 Low German
Low German cognate of Riese.
Reeve English
Occupational name derived from Middle English reeve, Old English (ge)refa meaning "sheriff, prefect, local official".
Reeves English
Variant of Reeve.
Regan Irish
Variant of Reagan.
Regenbogen German, Jewish
From a German nickname meaning "rainbow".
Řeha Czech
Derived from the given name Řehoř.
Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".
Reid Scottish
Scots variant of Read 1.
Reier German
Variant of Reiher.
Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.
Reinders Dutch, Frisian
From the given name Reindert.
Reis German, Jewish
From Middle High German ris meaning "twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Remington English
From the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, derived from the name of the stream Riming combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, town".
Ren Chinese
From Chinese (rén), of uncertain meaning.
Renard French
From the given name Renard.
Renaud French
From the given name Renaud.
Renault French
Derived from the given name Renaud.
Rendón Spanish
Possibly derived from a variant of Spanish de rondón meaning "unexpectedly, rashly".
Resnik Slovene
Possibly from Slovene resa meaning "heather".
Rettig German
Derived from Middle High German retich, Middle Low German redik meaning "radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.
Reuter 1 German
Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".
Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".
Revie English
Variant of Reeve.
Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.
Rey 2 English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.
Reyer German
Variant of Reiher.
Reyes Spanish
Spanish variant of Rey 1.
Reynolds English
Derived from the given name Reynold.
Řezníček Czech
Diminutive of Řezník.
Řezník Czech, Slovak
Means "butcher" in Czech and Slovak.
Rhee Korean
North Korean form of Lee 2.
Rhodes English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.
Rhydderch Welsh
From the given name Rhydderch.
Ribeiro Portuguese
Means "little river, stream" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".
Riber Danish
Originally indicated a person from the county or town of Ribe in southwestern Denmark.
Ricchetti Italian
Diminutive form of Ricci.
Ricci Italian
From Italian riccio meaning "curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is ultimately from Latin ericius meaning "hedgehog".
Rice Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.
Richard English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Richard.
Richards English
Derived from the given name Richard.
Richardson English
Means "son of Richard".
Richelieu French
From the name of the town of Richelieu, derived from French riche "wealthy" and lieu "place". The historic figure Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), born Armand du Plessis, was so-called because he became the first Duke of Richelieu. He appears in Alexander Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers (1844).
Richter German
Means "judge" in German, from Middle High German rihtære.
Rickard English
From the given name Richard.
Rico Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "rich, wealthy" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Rider English
Variant of Ryder.
Ridge English
Denoted a person who lived near a ridge, from Old English hrycg.
Ridley English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places of this name in England. The places are derived from Old English geryd "channel" or hreod "reed" combined with leah "woodland, clearing".
Rieck Low German
Low German form of Reich.
Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.
Rietveld Dutch
Means "reed field", from Dutch riet "reed" and veld "field". It is found mostly in the western part of the Netherlands (the Holland area).
Rigby English
Originally derived from the name of a town in Lancashire, itself from Old Norse hryggr "ridge" and býr "farm, settlement".
Riggi Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Reggio Calabria, from Latin Rhegium, of Greek origin.
Righi Italian
From the given name Arrigo.
Rigó Hungarian
Means "thrush" in Hungarian.
Riker German
Possibly a variant of Reich.
Riley 1 English
From the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Riley 2 Irish
Variant of Reilly.
Rimmer English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".
Rinaldi Italian
Derived from the given name Rinaldo.
Rinne 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Rinn.
Rinne 2 Finnish
Means "hillside" in Finnish.
Riordan Irish
From Irish Ó Ríoghbhárdáin meaning "descendant of Rígbarddán".
Ríos Spanish
Spanish cognate of Rios.
Rios Portuguese
Originally denoted a person who lived near a river, from Portuguese rios "river", ultimately from Latin rivus.
Ripley English
From the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "woodland, clearing". A notable fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley from the movie Alien (1979) and its sequels.
Ritchie Scottish
From a Scottish diminutive of the given name Richard.
Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.
Riva Italian
Means "bank, shore" in Italian, from Latin ripa, denoting one who lived by a river or a lake.
Rivas Spanish
Spanish form of Riva.
Rivera Spanish
From Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore", from Latin riparius.
Rivero Spanish
Variant of Rivera.
Rivers English
Denoted a person who lived near a river, from Middle English, from Old French riviere meaning "river", from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".
Rivière French
French cognate of Rivers.
Rizzi Italian
Variant of Ricci.
Rizzo Italian
Variant of Ricci.
Roach English
From Middle English and Old French roche meaning "rock", from Late Latin rocca, a word that may be of Celtic origin. It indicated a person who lived near a prominent rock, or who came from a town by this name (such as Les Roches in Normandy).
Robbins English
Derived from the given name Robin.
Robert French, English
From the given name Robert.
Roberts English
Means "son of Robert".
Robertsen Danish
Means "son of Robert".
Robertson English
Means "son of Robert".
Robertsson Swedish
Means "son of Robert".
Robin French
From the given name Robin.
Robinson English
Means "son of Robin".
Robledo Spanish
Means "oak wood" from Spanish roble "oak", ultimately from Latin robur.
Robles Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish roble "oak", from Latin robur.
Robson English
Means "son of Rob".
Robustelli Italian
From a nickname for a strong person, from Italian robusto "strong", from Latin robustus "firm, solid, oaken".
Rocca Italian
Italian cognate of Roach.
Rocchi Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.
Rocco Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.
Rocha Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician cognate of Roach.
Roche French
French cognate of Roach.
Roderick English
Derived from the given name Roderick.
Rodgers English
Derived from the given name Rodger.
Rodney English
From a place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame").
Rodrigo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Rodrigo.
Rodrigues Portuguese
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Portuguese.
Rodríguez Spanish
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.
Rodriguez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Rodríguez.
Róg Polish
Means "animal horn" in Polish.
Roger French
From the given name Roger.
Rogers English
Derived from the given name Roger.
Rogerson English
Means "son of Roger".
Roggeveen Dutch
Means "rye field" in Dutch. A famous bearer was Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729), the first European explorer to Easter Island.
Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.
Rojas Spanish
Variant of Rojo.
Rojo Spanish
Means "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.
Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.
Rolland French
From the given name Roland.
Rollins English
From a diminutive of the given name Roland.
Rolvsson Norwegian
Means "son of Rolf".
Roma Italian
Variant of Romano 2.
Romà Catalan
Catalan form of Romano 1 or Romano 2.
Romagna Italian
From the region of Romagna, on the Adriatic coast of Italy. It is derived from Latin Romania meaning "land of the Romans".
Román Spanish
From the given name Román.
Roman Romanian, Polish, Ukrainian
From the given name Roman.
Romano 1 Italian
Derived from the given name Romano.
Romano 2 Italian
Denoted a person from the city of Rome, either a resident or someone who visited as a pilgrim. In Calabria it was also used to designate a person from New Rome, a name for Constantinople.
Romanov Russian
Means "son of Roman". This was the surname of the last dynasty of Russian tsars.
Romão Portuguese
Portuguese form of Romano 1 or Romano 2.
Rome French, English
English and French form of Romano 2.
Romeijn Dutch
Derived from the given name Romein.
Romeijnders Dutch
From Dutch Romein meaning "Roman, person from Rome".
Romeijnsen Dutch
Means "son of Romein" in Dutch.
Romero Spanish
Derived from Spanish romero meaning "pilgrim to Rome".
Romijn Dutch
Derived from the given name Romein.
Romijnsen Dutch
Means "son of Romein" in Dutch.
Romilly English, French
Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern France called Romilly or from Romiley in England.
Rompa Dutch
Variant of Van Rompa.
Roncalli Italian
From the names of places like Ronco or Ronchi, quite common in northern Italy, derived from ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It was the surname of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (1881-1963), the pope John XXIII.
Ronchi Italian
From Italian places named Ronchi, derived from ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It is most common in northern and central Italy.
Rooijakkers Dutch
Means "red field", from Dutch rood "red" and akker "field".
Roosa Dutch
From Dutch roos meaning "rose".
Roosevelt Dutch
Means "rose field" from Dutch roos "rose" and veld "field". This was the surname of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).
Rosa Italian, Catalan
Italian and Catalan form of Rose 1.
Rosales Spanish
Means "rose bushes" in Spanish.
Rosário Portuguese
Means "rosary" in Portuguese. This name was often given to people born on the day of the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Rosario Spanish
Spanish form of Rosário.
Roscoe English
From the name of a town in Lancashire, derived from Old Norse "roebuck" and skógr "wood, forest".
Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).
Rose 2 English
Derived from the feminine given name Rose.
Rosenberg German, Swedish, Jewish
Means "rose mountain" in German and Swedish. As a Swedish and Jewish name it is ornamental.
Rosenfeld German, Jewish
Means "field of roses" in German. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Ross English, Scottish
From various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), which are derived from Scottish Gaelic ros meaning "promontory, headland".
Rossi Italian
Derived from a nickname for a red-haired person, from Italian rosso, Latin russus meaning "red". This is the most common surname in Italy.
Rossini Italian
Diminutive form of Rossi. A famous bearer was the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).
Rostami Persian
Derived from the given name Rostam.
Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.
Roth German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Rothbauer German
From Old High German riuten "to clear land" and bur "peasant, farmer".
Rothenberg German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish name it may be ornamental.
Rothschild Jewish
From Middle High German rot "red" and schilt "shield", or Yiddish רויט (roit) and שילד (shild). The famous Rothschild family of bankers took their name from a house with a red shield on it.
Rotolo Italian
From the Italian word for a measure of weight, from southern Italian dialects, derived from Greek via Arabic.
Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Rousseau French
Diminutive of Roux. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.
Roussel French
French form of Russell.
Roux French
Derived from Old French ros meaning "red", from Latin russus, a nickname for a red-haired person.
Rovigatti Italian
From the name of the city of Rovigo in northeastern Italy near Venice. It was called Rodigium in Latin, and is of unknown meaning.
Rowan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin.
Rowbottom English
Originally indicated a person who lived in an overgrown valley, from Old English ruh "rough, overgrown" and boðm "valley".
Rowe 1 English
Means "row" in Middle English, indicating a dweller by a row of hedges or houses.
Rowe 2 English
From the medieval name Row, which is either a variant of Roul or short form of Roland.
Rowland English
Derived from the given name Roland.
Rowntree English
Originally given to a person who lived near a rowan tree or mountain ash.
Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.
Roy 2 Scottish
From Gaelic ruadh meaning "red-haired".
Royce English
Originally derived from the medieval given name Royse, a variant of Rose.
Roydon English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".
Royer French
From French roue meaning "wheel", ultimately from Latin rota, an occupational name for a wheelwright.
Royle English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill" from Old English ryge "rye" and hyll "hill".
Royston English
Originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "Royse's town". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.
Rózsa Hungarian
From the feminine given name Rózsa.
Ruan Chinese
From Chinese (ruǎn), which refers to a type of musical instrument, similar to a lute.
Ruane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin.
Rubio Spanish
Nickname for a person with red hair, from Latin rubeus "red".
Rudawski Polish
Indicated a person who lived near the Rudawa, a river in Poland.
Ruf German
From the given name Rolf.
Ruff German, English
From the given name Rolf.
Ruggeri Italian
Derived from the given name Ruggero.
Ruggiero Italian
From the given name Ruggiero.
Ruggles English
From a medieval diminutive of the given name Roger.
Ruiz Spanish
Means "son of Ruy" in Spanish.
Rundström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish rund (from Latin rotundus) meaning "round" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Ruoho Finnish
Means "grass" in Finnish.
Ruotsalainen Finnish
Means "Swede" in Finnish.
Rush English
Indicated a person who lived near rushes, the grasslike plant that grows in a marsh, from Old English rysc.
Ruskin 1 Scottish
From Gaelic rusgaire meaning "tanner".
Ruskin 2 English
From a diminutive of the feminine given name Rose.
Rusnak Polish
Means "Russian" in Polish.
Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.
Russo Italian
Variant of Rossi.
Rustici Italian
From Italian rustico meaning "rustic, rural".
Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".
Rutgers Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.
Rutherford Scottish
From the name of places in southern Scotland and northern England, derived from Old English hriðer meaning "cattle, ox" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".
Rutkowski Polish
Originally a name for a person from Rutki, Poland.
Rutten Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.
Ruud Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse ruð meaning "cleared land".
Růžička Czech
Means "little rose" in Czech.
Ruzsa Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Rózsa.
Ruzzier Italian
From a dialectal variant of Ruggiero. It is typical of northeastern Italy, the area around Trieste.
Ryan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Riain, or else a simplified form of Mulryan.
Ryba Czech, Polish
Means "fish" in Czech and Slovak, an occupational name for a fisher.
Rybár Slovak
Slovak form of Rybář.