A good 'R' name always feels right. Most of them hover around the middle of the popularity scale, which means that you'll get a creative and interesting name that's not totally weird or unheard of. Righteous, right?
There are always the ever-popular versions of Rachel and Riley to choose from, but how boring is that? There are so many rad "R" names out there that you should consider instead. Here's the short list:
-
Ramona: Ramona was really popular for most of the 20th century, so much so that Ramona Quimby became the star of Beverly Cleary's famous books. It's the feminine version of the name Ramon, which means "wise protection."
-
Raven: Here's a girls' name that dark, wise, and strong. Those are adjectives that are usually reserved for boys' names and we're glad Raven claims it for girls, but Raven has an undeniably feminine side to it, too.
-
Remy: Remy can be used as a boys' or girls' name, and we think it's sweet and strong either way. It's a traditionally French name but has been seamlessly adopted as an English name without losing any of it's French charm.
-
Reagan: Reagan has spiked in popularity in the past 30 or so years, and with good reason. It's fun and versatile, and comes from the Old Norse word for "decision or judgement."
-
Reba: Originally used as a shortened version of Rebecca, Reba was popular on it's own in the early 1900's. It's not used much today, but it's a great option for moms looking for something short and a little funky.
-
Rebel: Rebel Wilson might be the only person you can think of with the name Rebel, but doesn't that just make it more rebellious? It's a great name for girls who want to rival all the Blaises and Storms in the boys' world, and we hope to see more of it soon.
More from The Stir: 20 Strong Military Baby Names for Little Girls
-
Reese: Though it's traditionally a boys' name, Reese Witherspoon proved that Reese can be just as lovely for girls as it can for boys. It comes from a version of the Old English word for "ardent," so you're sure to get a fire cracker if you choose this one.
-
Rena: The name Rena can come from any number of places: It's often used as a shorter version of Irena or Serena, it can come from the Hebrew word for "joyous melody," or from Azerbaijani. No matter where you get it, Rena is an understated and fun name for girls.
-
Rene: Rene is a shorter version of the popular French name Renée, which means "born again." Spelled either way, it's elegant and timeless, though it's logistically easier to deal with without the extra accented "e."
-
Retta: It hasn't been used much since the turn of the 20th century, but Retta is an energetic name that keeps its old time-y charm. And if your daughter turns out anything like Parks and Recreation star Retta, you're in luck.
-
Rhonda: Rhonda was popular in the 1960s, which fits with the name's biggest pop culture claim to fame: The Beach Boys 1964 hit "Help Me Rhonda."
-
Rilla: A gorgeous name that hasn't had much attention since the early 1900s, Rilla has a sweet, old fashioned sound to it. It's also the name of a character in the classic series Anne of Green Gables who eventually got her own book.
-
Rita: Another old fashioned name, Rita peaked in popularity around the time that classic Hollywood star Rita Hayworth was alive. Up and coming stars in Hollywood today like Rita Ora are bound to bring some attention back to this classic name.
__More from *The Stir*: [23 Baby Names Inspired by Hollywood Legends](http://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/183522/23_baby_names_inspired_by)__
-
River: Worn famously by movie star River Phoenix, this is also a popular name in today's science fiction: TV shows like Doctor Who and Firefly have name important female characters River.
-
Rizzo: If you're looking for something totally unique, Rizzo might be it. It was introduced by the character in 1978's hit musical Grease, and hasn't been used much since. But why not? It's fun and a little spunky, but it's still clean and simple like many popular baby names.
-
Robin: Robin is feminine form of Robert, but it's never gotten as much attention as its partner. We think it deserves it, though — it bright and lovely, just like the bird.
-
Rory: For most of its life, Rory was used as a boys name, but the TV show Gilmore Girls drew attention to it as a girls name, and now it's hard to see it as anything but.
-
Rosa: Translating from Spanish to "rose" or "pink," Rosa a sweet and delicate name for girls. But who could ignore the strong women like Rosa Parks and Rosa Luxemburg who wore this name before?
-
Rosemary: Though it peaked in the 1940s, Rosemary has made the top charts every year since then. It seamlessly combines two consistently popular names but has a sound (and smell?) all of its own.
-
Rowan: It's used pretty equally as a boys' and girls' name, but something about this woodsy and charming name just fits so perfectly for girls for us.
-
Roxanne: Sure, Roxannes will probably get a lot of that one Police song sung to them, but this ancient name goes so much deeper than that: It was the name of Alexander the Great's wife and is believed to come from the Greek word for "dawn of the day."
__More from *The Stir*: [25 Gorgeous Greek Baby Names for Girls](http://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/182285/25_gorgeous_greek_baby_names)__
-
Ruby: This glitzy name has always been a popular choice for girls, but it's still uncommon enough that little Rubys wouldn't have to worry about running into too many girls with their name.
-
Roux: This French names translates to "red," and it's good for moms who love the sweet sound of the name without wanting to copy Rue from The Hunger Games.
-
Ruth: A classic name that was really popular in the middle of the 20th century, Ruth most likely comes from the Hebrew word for "companion or friend."
-
Ryn: Sometimes spelled Rynn, this name is an interesting version of its more popular cousin, Bryn, which comes from the Welsh word for "hill."
Are you considering any "R" names for your daughter?
Image via Vlad G/shutterstock
