Submitted Surnames Starting with R

usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Rhoton German, French
Rhoton is a German and French surname from the 1800s. Some people believe that it is derived from the French word for red, but the origin is overall unknown. The name represents strength and power.
Rhys Welsh
In addition to being used as a given name, it occurs as a surname both alone and in combination with other surnames. Related patronymic forms of the surname are Price, Prys, Pris and Preece. A notable bearer is John Rhys-Davies.
Ri Korean
Alternate romanization of Lee 2 chiefly used in North Korea.
Ri Japanese
Japanese form of Li 1, from Japanese 李 (ri) meaning "plum, prune".
Riach Scottish
Variant Of Reach.
Riad Arabic
From the given name Riad.
Riahi Persian, Arabic (Maghrebi)
Derived from Arabic رِيَاح (riyāḥ) meaning "winds, breezes", the plural of رِيح (rīḥ) meaning "wind".
Rial English
Variant of Royle.
Rian Irish (Anglicized, Rare, ?)
An alternate spelling and pronunciation of Ó Riain, due to French influences after the progenitors of the family moved to France from Ireland.
Riareuja Ligurian
Alternative spelling of Rivareua.
Riaz Arabic
From the given name Riad.
Ribadavia Galician
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Riba De Neira Galician
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Baralla, Comarca of Os Ancares.
Ribar Croatian
Derived from ribar, meaning "fisherman".
Ribas Spanish
Variant of Rivas.
Ribchester English
This name originates from the small village in Lancashire that shares the same name. Interestingly, most people with the name 'Ribchester' are in Lancashire, but a lot are also found in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Ribera Catalan, Spanish
Habitational name from any of various locations in Spain named Ribera, derived from Catalan and Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore".
Ribić Croatian
Occupational surname for a fisherman.
Ricard French
From the given name Richard and a variant of Richard.
Ricardez Spanish
Means "Son of Ricardo". Spanish form of Richardson.
Ricardo Italian, Spanish
From the given name Ricardo
Ricario Spanish
Spanish and Jewish (Sephardic): from the personal name Ricardo ( see Richard ).
Riccardo Italian
From the given name Riccardo
Ricciardi Italian
From the given name Riccardo.
Riccio Italian
From Italian riccio meaning "curly". This was originally a nickname for someone with curly hair.
Ricer Italian
means "search " in italian
Rich English
Patronymic derived from a short form of Richard.
Rich English
From a nickname of a wealthy person, ultimately derived from Germanic ric "powerful". A notable fictional bearer is Richie Rich who first appeared as a comic book character in 1953.
Rich English
Derived from the name of a (former) village in Lincolnshire, England named with the Old English element ric "stream, drainage channel".
Richardsson Swedish
Means "son of Rikard".
Riche English, French
English: variant spelling of Rich. ... [more]
Richer French, English, German
From the given name Richer.
Richers English, German
From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements ric ‘power(ful)’ + hari, heri ‘army’. The name was introduced into England by the Normans in the form Richier, but was largely absorbed by the much more common Richard... [more]
Richie English (Rare), Italian
Diminutive form of Richard. It could also have been a nickname for one who was rich or wealthy, or, in Italy, a variant of Ricci... [more]
Richilde French (Rare)
From the feminine given name Richilde.
Richling Jewish (Rare)
Russian Jewish surname from the Vilna Governorate of the Russian Empire.
Richmond English
Habitational name from any of the numerous places so named, in northern France as well as in England. These are named with the Old French elements riche "rich, splendid" and mont "hill"... [more]
Richoux French
French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Ricwulf a compound of rīc ‘power(ful)’ + wulf ‘wolf’. Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Rick English
1 English: variant of Rich 2.... [more]
Rickardsson Swedish
Means "son of Rickard". A notable bearer of the surname is the Swedish cross country skier, Daniel Rickardsson.
Rickels German
Patronymic form of Rickel or possibly Richel. May have been derived from any of a number of Old German personal names including Richild (or the feminine form Richeldis) or Richold.
Ricken German
From a short form of any of the Germanic personal names composed with rīc "power(ful)".
Ricketson English
It was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old German name Ricard, meaning "powerful" and "brave."
Rickman English
Means "son of Rick". A famous bearer was American Alan Rickman (1946-2016).
Ridala Estonian
Ridala is an Estonia surname meaning "set, line, or range" "area".
Ridalaan Estonian
Ridalaan is an Estonian surname derived from "rida" meaning "range" and "lään" meaning "fief".
Ridamäe Estonian
Ridamäe is an Estonian surname meaning "range hill".
Riddell Scottish, English
Derived from the given name Ridel.
Ridder German, Dutch
Dutch form and German variant of Ritter.
Riddick Scottish
A different form of Reddick ("person from Rerwick or Rerrick", Dumfries and Galloway (perhaps "robbers' outlying settlement")). A fictional bearer of the surname is Richard B. Riddick, (anti)hero of the 'Chronicles of Riddick' movies.
Rideout English
Means "outrider (a municipal or monastic official in the Middle Ages whose job was to ride around the country collecting dues and supervising manors)".
Ridges English
Variant of Ridge.
Ridgeway English
Comes from Middle English 'riggewey', hence a topographic name for someone who lived by such a route or a habitational name from any of various places so named, for example in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, and Staffordshire.
Ridgway English
Variant spelling of Ridgeway.
Riding English
From Old English rydding "cleared land, assart".
Ridinger German
A habitational name for someone from a place named Riding or Rieding. It is also possibly an altered spelling of Reitinger, a topographic name from Reit(e), which means ‘clearing’ (Old High German riuti).
Ridout English
A variant of the other surname Rideout.
Riechers German
German patronymic from Richard.
Riedel German
From the given name Riede.
Riedel German
Derived from a given name containing the Middle Low German name element riden "to ride".
Riedel German
Derived from Middle High German riet "damp, mossy area".
Riedemann German
Either a habitational name derived from places named Ried or Riede, or a topographic name derived from Low German Riede "rivulet".
Riedi Romansh
Derived from the given name Ruedi.
Riegel German
From Middle High German rigel "bar, crossbeam, mountain incline", hence a topographic name or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word in Baden, Brandenburg, and Silesia; in some instances it may have been a metonymic occupational name for a maker of crossbars, locks, etc.
Riehl German (Austrian), German
Either from the given name Rühle or a from the location of Rühle or Riehl.
Riek German
German: variant spelling of Rieck.
Rieke German
Variant of Rieck
Riel French
French variant of Riehl. Most notable bearer is Canadian Métis political leader Louis Riel, best known for his Red River Rebellion.
Rieley English
Variant of Reilly.
Riesen German
It is a name for a wood carver.
Riesenberg German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a big mountain, from Middle High German rise meaning "giant" and berg meaning "mountain".
Riesenberg German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a big mountain, derived from Middle High German rise meaning "giant" and berg meaning "mountain".
Riesenburg German
Variant spelling of Riesenberg.
Rieser Swiss, German
Alemannic form of Reiser. A habitational name for someone from Ries near Passau. Alemannic variant of Rüsser and Rüser, a variant of Reusser... [more]
Rieth German
"reed" -- a tall, slender-leaved plant of the grass family that grows in water or on marshy ground.
Rietums Latvian
Derived from the word rietumi meaning "west".
Rifai Arabic
Elevation of all, honor and Glory... [more]
Rifat Arabic, Bengali
From the given name Rifat.
Rifi Moroccan
Habitational name from the region of Rif.
Rifi Moroccan
Derived from the Rifian word for Rifian.
Rifkin Jewish
Metronymic from the Yiddish female given name Rifke from the Hebrew given name Rivka (see Rebecca), with the addition of the Slavic suffix -in.
Rifkind Jewish
Variant of Rifkin. The final element was changed due to the influence of the Yiddish noun kind "child" (German: "Kinder").
Rigas Greek
From the Latin word for king, 'rex'.
Rigaud French, Haitian Creole
from the ancient Germanic personal name Ricwald composed of ric "powerful" and wald "power authority".
Righetti Italian
Means "son of Righetto" a pet form of the personal name Rigo.
Right English
Variant spelling of Wright 1.
Rigo Italian, Catalan
From the given name Rigo a short of any of the given names Rigoberto, Arrigo, and Federigo.
Rigoldi Italian
Derived from the given name Rigo, a short form of various names.
Rigolet French
Means "creek" in French. From (American) French rigole (“rivulet”), from Old French regol.
Rigoli Italian
Derived from the given name Rigo, a short form of various names.
Riguccini Italian
Derived from the given name Riguccio.
Riiel Estonian
Riiel is an Estonian surname meaning "cloth" or fabric".
Riiet Estonian
Riiet is an Estonian surname derived from "riietur" meaning "clothier".
Riihimäki Finnish
Derived from Riihimäki, a town and municipality in southern Finland, meaning "drying barn hill" in Finnish.
Riina Sicilian
Derived from Sicilian rijina meaning "queen".
Riis Scandinavian
Nickname from ris 'twigs', 'scrub', or a habitational name from any of several places so named in Denmark. Norwegian: habitational name from any of five farmsteads named Ris, from Old Norse hrís 'brushwood'.
Riivik Estonian
Riivik is an Estonian surname derived from "rivik", meaning "setting stick", "galley", and "assembler".
Rijkaard Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Dutch variant of Richard. A famous bearer of this surname is the retired Dutch soccer player Frank Rijkaard (1962-).
Rijlaarsdam Dutch
Derived from Reguliersdam, a dam named for a nearby monastery from Old French reguler "ecclesiastical, subject to religious or monastic rule".
Rikardsson Swedish
Means "son of Rikard".
Rikiishi Japanese
From Japanese (力) 'riki' meaning "force, power" and (石) 'ishi' meaning "stone".
Rikimaru Japanese
This surname is used as 力丸 with 力 (rii, riki, ryoku, chikara) meaning "bear up, exert, power, strain, strength, strong" and 丸 (gan, maru, maru.i, maru.meru) meaning "curl up, explain away, full, make round, month, perfection, pills, roll up, round, seduce."... [more]
Rilo English
Transferred use of the surname derived from the Old English elements ryge (rye) and lēah (wood, clearing, meadow). See also Riley 1.
Rimes English
Originally denoted one who came from the city of Reims in the Grand Est region of France, or a topographic name for someone who lived in a thickly wooded area, derived from Old French ramel (a diminutive of raim) meaning "branch", ultimately from Latin ramus... [more]
Rin Japanese
From Japanese 林 (rin) meaning "forest".
Rinard English (American)
An Americanized version of the German Surname Reinhardt.
Rinato Italian
means "reborn" in italian
Rinbayashi Japanese (Rare)
It's written like this: 林林. Both rin and hayashi mean "forest". This is because rin is the Chinese reading called onyomi, and hayashi is the Japanese reading called kunyomi.
Rind German
Probably a metonymic occupational name for a cattle dealer or butcher, from Middle High German rint meaning "cow".
Rindfleisch German
Means "beef" in German (lit. cow flesh). Compare Kalbfleisch.
Rindt German
Variant of Rind.
Ringelberg German
From the mountain on which sat Castle Ringel.
Ringer English
From the Norman name Reinger or Rainger derived from the Germanic elements ragin meaning "advice, counsel" and ger meaning "spear"... [more]
Ringgold German
Comes from Germanic ring "ring" or "assembly" and wald "rule"
Rinne Estonian
Rinne is an Estonian surname meaning "front" or "battlefront".
Rino Italian
From the given name Rino.
Rinomato Italian
Derived from Italian rinomato meaning "renowned", "famous", and "well-known". A known bearer is the Canadian television host Sandra Rinomato.
Rintoul Scottish
Derived from a farm with the same name, near the town of Milnathort in Kinross-shire, Scotland.
Riola Italian
Regional variant of Riolo.
Ripamonti Italian
From ripa "bank, shore" and monte "mountain".
Ripp English (American), East Frisian, German
From Ripp, a Frisian pet name for Rippert.
Rippas German (Swiss)
The first recorded person with this surname was from Ziefen, Switzerland.
Ripper English
Means "maker, seller or carrier of baskets" (from a derivative of Middle English rip "basket").
Ripple English
From the word ripple. Could mean that they live near a river, lake, brook, stream, or ocean.
Riquelme Spanish
Spanish: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements rīc 'power(ful)' + helm 'helmet protection'.
Riquier French
From the given name Riquier and a variant of Richer.
Riroroko Rapa Nui
Riroroko is a surname that comes from the Miru Rapa Nui clan. This was concerning the Riro portion the name of a ariki "king" on Easter Island who succeeded Atamu Tekena. Riro was part of the Miru clan... [more]
Rīs Sinhalese
Variant of Reyes or Reis (see user-submitted name) used in Sri Lanka.
Ris French (Huguenot)
Surname of unknown meaning.
Risch Romansh
Truncated form of Durisch.
Riseborough English
Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Risborough, Riseborough or Risbury in England, derived from Old English hrīs meaning "brushwood" and beorg meaning "hill, mound", or from hrīs and burh meaning "fortification"... [more]
Risley English
It means "brushwood clearing".
Rispoli Italian
A patronymic from a derivative of the given name Rispo, which is probably of Germanic origin. Alternatively, it could be a variant of Ruspoli, which is of unknown origin.
Rist Estonian
Rist is an Estonian surname meaning "cross".
Risteski Macedonian
Son of Riste
Ristevski Macedonian
Means "son of Risto".
Ristikivi Estonian
Ristikivi is an Estonian surname meaning "abeam" or "athwart stone".
Ristoja Estonian
Ristoja is an Estonian surname meaning "across (abeam) creek".
Ristoska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Ristoski.
Ristoski m Macedonian
Means "son of Risto".
Ristov m Macedonian
Means "son of Risto".
Ristova f Macedonian
Feminine form of Ristov.
Ristovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Ristovski.
Ristovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Risto".
Ristsoo Estonian
Ristsoo is an Estonian surname meaning "across (perpendicular/transverse) swamp".
Rita Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan
From the female personal name Rita, a reduced form of MargharitaMargaret’, chosen in particular in honor of a 15th-century Italian saint who bore the name in this form.
Ritacco Italian
Probably a derivative of Rito, a masculinized form of the female personal name Rita.
Ritch English, German, German (Swiss)
1. English: variant spelling of Rich. ... [more]
Ritchard English
Variant spelling of Richard that was altered by the diminutive Ritchie. Or possibly from a surname derived from Richard... [more]
Ritchings French, German, English
This surname has at least three distinct separate origins. ... [more]
Ritfeld German, Dutch (Anglicized)
German surname and anglicized Dutch form of Rietveld
Ritonga Batak
From Batak ri meaning "reed, grass" and tonga meaning "middle, centre".
Ritschel German, History
Derived from Old High German hruod "fame". This was the maiden name of Magda Goebbels who was the wife of Paul Joseph Goebbels. Her husband was Nazi Germany's propaganda minister between the years 1933 and 1945... [more]
Ritsos Greek
The Greek version of the Italian surname Rizzo.
Ritt German
Either a topographic name from Old High German ritta meaning "reeds" or a habitational name from a place near Kassel, Germany. Alternately it may also be a variant of Ried.
Ritta-apinan Thai
From Thai ฤทธิ์ (rit) meaning "power", ธา (tha), a transcription of Sanskrit धा (dhā) meaning "bearer, maintainer", อภิ (api) of unknown meaning, and นันท์ (nan) of unknown meaning.
Ritterman German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight" and man literally meaning "man".
Rittinghaus German
Name for someone who lives in a farmhouse.
Rittman German, English
From Middle High German "riet" and "mann", riet meaning reed.