Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Rathgeber GermanFrom Middle High German
ratgebe or Middle Low German
ratgever "giver of advice, counselor", an occupational name for an adviser or wise man.
Ratnapriya SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit रत्न
(ratna) meaning "jewel, treasure" and प्रिय
(priya) meaning "beloved, dear".
Ratnikov m RussianMeans "son of the warrior", from Russian
ратник (ratnik).
Rattanaphet Thai (Rare)From Thai รัตน (
rattana-) meaning "gem; jewel" and เพชร์ (
phet), a variant form of เพชร (
phet) meaning "diamond".
Rattanasack LaoFrom Lao ລັດຕະນະ
(rattana) meaning "precious stone, jewel, gem" and ສັກ
(sack) meaning "power, authority".
Rattanasiri ThaiFrom Thai รัตน
(rattana) meaning "gem, jewel" and สิริ
(siri) meaning "sacred, prosperity, beauty, grace".
Rattanavong LaoFrom Lao ລັດຕະນະ
(rattana) meaning "precious stone, jewel, gem" and ວົງ
(vong) meaning "lineage, family".
Ratzinger GermanRatzinger means that someone has origins in the town of Ratzing. There are several German towns with this name. RATZ means ‘Serb’. Serbs were indigenous people in Germany, and many German cities originally had Serbian names (Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Brandenburg)... [
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Rau GermanNickname for a ruffian, earlier for a hairy person, from Middle High German
ruch,
ruhe,
rouch "hairy", "shaggy", "rough".
Rau ItalianFrom a local variant of the personal name Rao, an old form of
Ralph.
Räuber German, German (Swiss)German, Swiss German: derogatory nickname, from Middle High German
roubære ‘robber’, ‘bandit’, ‘highwayman’ (from
roub,
roup ‘booty’, ‘spoils’).
Rauch GermanPerhaps an occupational nickname for a blacksmith or charcoal burner, from Middle High German
rouch, German
Rauch ‘smoke’, or, in the case of the German name, a status name or nickname relating to a hearth tax (i.e. a tax that was calculated according to the number of fireplaces in each individual home).
Raudabaugh German (Americanized)Raudabaugh is a German-Americanized surname of Reidenbach. People include Dan Raudabaugh (American Football coach) and Dave Raudabaugh (Outlaw who was an acquaintance to Billy the kid).
Raun EstonianRaun is an Estonian surname derived from "raunjalg" meaning "bird's nest fern" (Asplenium).
Rausch GermanNickname for a noisy person, derived from
ruschen, meaning "to make a noise" in Middle High German. ... [
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Rausing Swedish (Rare)Combination of
Raus, the name of a parish in southern Sweden, and the common surname suffix
-ing "belonging to, coming from".
Raval Indian, GujaratiFrom Gujarati રાવ
(rava) meaning "king", ultimately from Sanskrit राजन्
(rajan).
Ravel French, French (African)Derived from either a place called Ravel in the district of Drome or Provence, or from the word 'rave' meaning a root vegetable, and hence a grower or seller of such items.
Raveling Germannickname or patronymic from Middle Low German rave(n) ‘raven’
Ravellino CelticIt means weaver or taylor. In the Gaelic languaje is wehydd or gwehydd.
Raven English, DutchFrom a variety of sources all ultimately derived from the name of the bird. Could be a patronymic form of a given name such as
Raven,
Hraban, or
Walraven; from a nickname referring to dark hair or thieving tendencies; or from a toponym derived from a given name.
Ravenel English, FrenchHabitational name from Ravenel in Oise or a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of horseradish, from a diminutive of Old French
ravene ‘horseradish’ (Latin
raphanus)... [
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Ravenscar English (British)From a coastal village with the same name, located in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England.
Ravenscroft English, English (British)Habitational name from a minor place in
Cheshire, England. The place name means "Hræfn's croft", from an Old English personal name
Hræfn (itself from Old English
hræfn meaning "raven", possibly a byname) and Old English
croft meaning "enclosed field".
Ravenswaaij DutchFrom the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, meaning "Raven’s ford", derived from the personal name
Raven combined with Old Dutch
wade "ford, shallows", later reinterpreted as Middle Dutch
way "pool, kolk lake".
Ravier OccitanMeans "horseradish" in French, denoting someone who selled them.
Raviv HebrewFrom Hebrew רָבִיב
(raviv) meaning "droplet, rain, drizzle".
Rawls EnglishFrom the Olde German and Anglo-Saxon personal name
Rolf. Originally derived from the Norse-Viking pre 7th Century 'Hrolfr' meaning "Fame-Wolf".
Raya Galician, SpanishPossibly a habitational name from Raya in Galicia or in Albacete and Murcia provinces. Possibly a topographic name from Spanish raya meaning "line", denoting the boundary between two countries or provinces.
Rayamajhi NepaliProbably a portmanteau of the Nepali words meaning 'Royal Fishmongers'. A member of the Rajput-Chhetri subcaste of Nepali family names.
Rayford AmericanFrom a Germanic personal name with the elements
ric- meaning "powerful" and
-frid meaning "peace".
Rayl GermanVariant of Rehl, which it's meaning is probably a habitational name from Rehl in Rhineland or Rehlen in East Prussia.
Raymond English, FrenchFrom the Norman personal name
Raimund, composed of the Germanic elements
ragin "advice, counsel" and
mund "protection".
Razo GalicianA habitational name from Razo in A Coruña province, Galicia.
Reach Scottish, EnglishScottish: Nickname For Someone With Streaks Of Gray Or White Hair From Gaelic Riabhach ‘Brindled Grayish’. English And Scottish: Habitational Name From Either Of Two Places Called Reach In Bedfordshire And Cambridgeshire Recorded As Reche In Medieval Documents From Old English Rǣc ‘Raised Strip Of Land Or Other Linear Feature’ (In The Case Of The Cambridgeshire Name Specifically Referring To Devil's Dyke A Post-Roman Earthwork)... [
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Reading EnglishHabitational name from the county seat of Berkshire, which gets its name from Old English
Readingas "people of Read(a)", a byname meaning "red".
Réal FrenchThis can derive from several different sources: southern French
réal "royal", a word which was applied to someone either as a nickname (presumably given to people perceived as being regal) or as an occupational name (given to a person in the service of the king); or the French place name
Réal, in which case this is a habitational name taken from any of various places which were named for having been part of a royal domain (also compare
Reau,
Reaux).
Real Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, GalicianEither a habitational name from any of numerous places called Real; those in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal being named from
real "royal" or as variant of
Rial while those in southern Spain and Catalonia are named in part from real meaning "encampment rural property" (Arabic
raḥāl "farmhouse cabin")... [
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Reale ItalianFrom reale "royal", either an occupational name for someone in the service of a king or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal manner.
Reali ItalianVariant of the surname
Reale, which stems from
reale "royal", either a name for someone in the service of a royal or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal, aristocratic manner.
Reams PolishThe last name Reams comes from Normandy, France.
Reb AlsatianOf debated origin and meaning. Theories include a derivation from the given name
Raban and a variant of the surname
Reber.
Rebolledo SpanishHabitational name from any of various places called Rebolledo for example Rebolledo de la Torre in Burgos from rebollo denoting a species of oak.
Rebuffo ItalianPossibly from the medieval given names Rebuffo or Robufus. Alternately, may derive from a nickname based on
rabuffo "rebuke, scold".
Rechner GermanOccupational name from Middle High German
rechenære "reckoner keeper of accounts".
Recht GermanProbably a habitational name from a place so named in the Rhineland.
Recht German, JewishNickname for an upright person, from Middle High German
reht, German
recht "straight". As a Jewish name it is mainly of ornamental origin.
Reck GermanNickname from Middle High German recke ‘outlaw’ or ‘fighter’. North German and Westphalian: from Middle Low German recke ‘marsh’, ‘waterlogged ground’, hence a topographic name, or a habitational name from a place named with this term.
Recknagel Germanfrom Middle High German
recken "to raise or lift" (here in the imperative) and
nagel "nail" hence a metonymic occupational name for a blacksmith or perhaps an obscene nickname (with a transferred sense for nagel i.e. ‘penis’).
Rector EnglishStatus name for the director of an institution, in particular the head of a religious house or a college. Also an anglicized form of
Richter.
Redden EnglishLocation name meaning "clearing or cleared woodland." Communities called Redden include one in Roxburghshire, Scotland and another in Somerset, England. A notable bearer is actor Billy Redden who played the dueling banjoist Lonnie in the 1972 film 'Deliverance.'
Reddick Scottish, Northern IrishHabitational name from Rerrick or Rerwick in Kirkcudbrightshire, named with an unknown first element and
wīc "outlying settlement". It is also possible that the first element was originally Old Norse
rauðr "red".
Reddick EnglishHabitational name from Redwick in Gloucestershire, named in Old English with
hrēod "reeds" and
wīc "outlying settlement".
Redding GermanPatronymic from any of the Germanic personal names with the first element
rad "counsel, advice".
Reddington EnglishFrom a place name derived from an uncertain first element (perhaps the Old English given name
Rēada) combined with the suffix
ing meaning "belonging to" and
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Reddish EnglishThis surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Reddish,' a village near Stockport, Cheshire.
Redenbach GermanToponymic name possibly derived from Middle High German
reden "to speak, to talk" and
bach "stream". It could also be a variant of
Wittenbach.
Redenbacher English (American)The name "Redenbacher" appears to be a combination of two parts: "Reden" and "Bacher". Here's what I found about the meanings of these parts:... [
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Rédey HungarianIndicated a person from Kisréde or Nagyréde, a village in Hungary.
Redfield ScottishAnglicized form of the Scottish habitational name
Reidfuyrd, meaning "reedy ford".
Redgrave EnglishFrom the name of a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, derived from Old English
hrēod meaning "reed" or
rēad "red", and
græf meaning "pit, ditch" or
grāf "grove"... [
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Redman English, IrishVariant of
Raymond. Also a nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Middle English
rudde "red" and
man "man".
Redmayne English, IrishDerived from
Redmain, a small hamlet in Cumbria, England. It is named with Old English
rēad meaning "red" and Welsh
main meaning "rock, stone". The name could also be derived from the given name
Réamonn, which is an Irish form of
Raymond... [
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Redmer FrisianNorth German: from the Frisian personal name, composed of the Germanic elements rad ‘advice’, ‘counsel’ + mari, meri ‘fame’.
Redner GermanGerman: possibly a variant of
Redmer, or an occupational name for a spokesman, Middle High German rednære.
Redpath Scottish, EnglishHabitational name from a place in Berwickshire, probably so called from Old English
read ‘red’ +
pæð ‘path’. This name is also common in northeastern England.
Redwood EnglishName possibly derived from the colour of the bark of trees or the name of the town Reedworth between Durham and Devon
Redžepagić BosnianDerived from
Redžeb, meaning "Rajab", the seventh month of the Islamic calendar.
Ree EstonianRee is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "rehi" meaning "barn".
Reedi EstonianReedi is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from "reeder", meaning "ship owner".
Reedus English, ScottishAn English and Scottish name of uncertain origin. Possibly a reduced form of English Redhouse, a habitational name from any of the numerous places named Redhouse, including over ninety farms.
Reek EstonianReek is an Estonian surname, possibly a corruption of "kreek", meaning "damson".
Reekie ScottishPerhaps "person from Reikie", Aberdeenshire, or from a different form of the Scottish male personal name
Rikie, literally "little
Richard".
Reemets EstonianReemets is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "rehi" meaning "barn" and "mets" meaning "forest".
Reepalu EstonianReepalu is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from "ere" ("bright" or "vivd") and "palu" ("sandy heath" and "heathy woodland".)
Reese Low German, Dutch, GermanVariant of
Riese or
Reus, from
risi meaning "giant". Alternatively, could be a patronymic form of the Germanic given name
Razo, derived from
rēdaz "counsel, advise", or a habitational name from places called Rees or Reese in Rhineland and Lower Saxony.
Reeson EnglishEnglish (Lincolnshire):: patronymic meaning ‘son of the reeve’ from Middle English reve + son.
Refaeli HebrewVariant of
Rafaeli. The Israeli model and actress Bar Refaeli (1985-) is a famous bearer of this name.
Regel Germanfrom Middle High German
regel "(monastic) rule" (from Latin
regula), perhaps a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked in a monastery.
Régis FrenchOccupational name for a local dignitary, from a derivative of Old French
régir "to rule or manage".
Rego PortuguesePrimarily Iberian, particularly
Portuguese in origin. A topographic name for someone who lived by a channel.
Regueiro Galician, PortugueseThe name originated in Ourense (Galicia) in the 14th Century. It´s literal meaning in Portuguese is river. It is a surname referring to a person who lived near a river or water source.
Rehder GermanOccupational name, which was derived from the kind of work done by the original bearer. It is a name for a wheelmaker or wheelwright.
Rehi EstonianRehi is an Estonian surname meaning "threshing barn".