Here is the game we are playing:
We are going to pretend that we are naming a baby and that the name MUST start with a certain letter, and so we will need one name starting with that letter for a boy and one name starting with that letter for a girl, or else one name that would work for either, EVEN IF we don’t like any of the names that start with that letter enough to Actually In Real Life choose them. It is just a game where we place artificial restrictions on reality in order to create the kind of tension that makes games fun—like when you have to choose what foods you’d eat if you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life: the fun is in thinking it over AS IF it were a real forced decision, while KNOWING it is not. There is a baby! It MUST be given a name with a particular letter! That is the game.
After that basic concept, we can decide our own sub-rules, based on what makes the game fun and not stressful. Some examples:
• I’m not planning to play that the name has to fit with the names of my other children or with the surname, though this would be an option for anyone who would LIKE to play it that way; I think I will have more fun if I pretend it is a stand-alone baby and that the surname is not an issue, though I may change my mind as we go. (And if I narrow it down to a few options and can’t decide, I might use siblings/surname as a tie-breaker.)
• It is also fine to narrow it down to a few finalists without getting to The One Name.
• It is fine to wave aside issues such as a friend who already used that name, a famous person with the name, etc., if that makes it more fun and less stressful to choose. This is just pretend, so you can pretend that those things aren’t issues if you want to. (Or you can let the issues stand as they are in real life, if THAT is more fun.)
• We can also all make our own decisions about whether the names have to be ones we think we’d ACTUALLY USE in that hypothetical scenario, or just our FAVORITE names starting with that letter, regardless of whether we think the names are practical; I am not sure which way I will play it, and I likely won’t be consistent.
• If you already have a child with a name starting with the letter we’re working on, you get to pick again from all the names that remain; you don’t have to choose your child’s name as your favorite just because it WAS your favorite: this is a FRESH baby, and you wouldn’t give it the same name as your existing child. (If you would normally prefer not to repeat an initial within a sibling group, you can just pretend that’s NOT a preference for the sake of the game.)
• You can do as much or as little explanation as you like in your comment: you can just list the names you chose, or you can explain your process/preferences/reasoning/runners-up, or whatever is most fun.
Today’s letter is R. I already have Rose on my list of girl names: it’s very common right now as a middle name, but I feel like it retains freshness as a first name. I have Ruth on my list of middle names, but if I had a baby to name RIGHT NOW, I think I would promote it to first name. In fact, I’m all but certain I would. Ruth! That’s my pick. I feel a surge of joy at the idea.
For a boy, I like Reid and Ruben and Rufus and Rhys and Russell. I have also come completely around to the name Robert, after using it as a blog pseudonym for one of my kids. And I have liked the name Roger ever since hearing that an old nickname for it is Hodge. HODGE. I love it. If I think of naming an actual baby in my actual house/city, I feel most comfortable with Reid or Robert; but if I pick what my heart leans toward, it’s Roger/Hodge.
Now you! If you want to! Only if it’s fun and not stressful! Feel free to adjust the game-play to be fun and not stressful!
Richard for a boy; a girl’s name is harder, but if I had to pick I’d say Rose, as well.
My two favorite names start with R! Rhiannon and Rhys!
Boy: Rolfe
Girl: Ruth
Rosemary for a girl; my maternal grandma is Rosetta so it would be a bit of an honor name.
Russell for a boy
Rowan – not sure at this point if it’s male or female it just popped into my head at the moment. Let’s see what else I come up with.
I love Rory and it’s nod to our Irish family roots.
For girls, I like Ruth very much for middle. Is it too serious for a first name? Other favourite: Rosemund.
I have 2 very special names with R that I would use as middle names. One is Rosa/Rose to honor my grandma and for a boy Ricardo/Ricky, to honor a friend, that was like a brother to me and passed away.
Options that I would use as first names are:
Girl – Rylie
Boy – Reese or Ryan
Rose and Roscoe
Rosamund/Rosa and Rodrigo/Rudy!
Rigby for a boy
Reese for a girl
I absolutely love the name Roxanne for a girl and it was on our list for a long when I was pregnant with our daughter. (Also, our daughter’s middle name is Rose, which is an honor name. It was also on the list for a first name.)
Russel/Rusty has been a long time fav.
Girl: Rhiannon
Boy: Reese
This made me remember: I mistook a girl who goes to my son’s school for Rose but her mum told me it was Rhodes which I thought was interesting. If it weren’t for a negative association I would love Rafael for a boy. For now though I’m going with Rhett and Raquel. I thought about this the other night to help me get to sleep, was so fun and it worked!
I’ve also gone through the alphabet with names to help me fall asleep!
Rebecca for a girl, but I love Rose too.
Rowan is right outside my normal naming style, but this morning I love it for my imaginary baby boy.
For a girl, I absolutely love Rose nn Rosie. I even have a middle name picked out — Anastasia. Rose Anastasia seems wonderful to me!
I don’t feel particularly excited about any R names for boys, but if I had to pick right now I’d probably go with Robert. I don’t like the nickname Bob, but I like Rob or Bertie.
Raymond is my favorite traditional R name for a boy (over Richard, Robert, Reginald, Rueben, and the like). I do like Ryan but seems somewhat dated. I think I would go with Rhett or Rhys for a boy…the silent h is appealing.
For a girl, I do like the currently fashionable name Ruby. I also like Robin but that seems dated just like Ryan. Rita is more of a classic like Ruth and both of those appeal to me. But for a girl today, I would probably go with Rosemary with the nickname options of Rose or Rosie.
For a girl, I like a lot of Rh Welsh names. Rhiannon is probably my favourite but I wonder if it wouldn’t be associated to much with the Fleetwood Mac song which I don’t care about. So maybe Rhianwen or just Rhian. Or Rhianwen nicknamed Rhian. Another R name I’ve been liking recently is Rosalyn. And I adore Rosie so I could call her Rosie. Actually, with all my love for Celtic culture and Celtic names and Welsh language, I feel like right name my heart is closer to Rosalyn nn Rosie than Rhianwen or Rhian, so I’m going with Rosalyn.
And for a boy, ohhh I seem to like a lot of R names! Rhys, Robin, Rhodri, Russell, Ranulph, Ragnar. But Rhys has been my favourite for a very long time and if I had such a thing as a top favourites ranking he’d surely be very high, so Rhys it is!
I also LOVE Roger for a boy. I’ve never heard it used in person, but I just think it sounds so endearing.
For a girl, I’d pick Rory.
I know a teenage Roger and it wears in such a friendly, intelligent way. Its wonderful.
So many good R names!
Unisex names aren’t usually my cup of tea, but I love Riley, Reese and Rory and could use them for any gender.
For a girl, I’d pick Ruth. It’s a long time contender for me and I adore the nickname Ruthie. or Ru/Roo .
If I had been born a boy, my name would’ve been Russell. I’ve always loved that name!! I’m also very drawn to Rhett. I’m having a hard time deciding between the two.
For a boy, Robert, which I’ve always liked, and would be a serious contender should I have a boy to name in the future. For a girl, Renata, but pronounced in a very Italian way, so probably not a practical choice for a future daughter.
Ruth is already on my list (I love the meaning, the biblical character, the nickname Ruthie). In 2020 and with RBG’s passing, this is the easy choice. So easy that I can’t imagine choosing something else.
If I weren’t doing Ruth for some reason (but my pick is Ruth) I would also look at Rose or Ramona.
Also already on my list is Robert. It’s my dad’s name, I think it’s very fresh for a 2020 baby, and I was in fact trying to name Arlo Robert. If we were to have a third boy (we won’t but if we were) we have already selected the name Jasper Robert, although I would lobby hard for Robert Jasper.
We used Rebecca as a middle for a kid, and I still like it. I also like Rilla, but would probably choose Marilla and Rilla would be the nickname.
For a boy, I’ve loved Ransom since I first heard it as a name, and my brother’s name, Rhett.
If I had to narrow it down, it’d be Rebecca and Ransom.
Rebecca and Russell. Both have been longtime favourites of mine.
IRL, this is another No-Repeat initial according to hubby (my name.) We used Rose in the middle to honour 4 generations of Rose variations on my maternal side. Rupert was my daughter’s middle until I changed it, but it holds great meaning for my hubby and I so that would definitely be my boy pick. I have loved Ruby for years but it fell off my list because I heard it often enough when I was pregnant that it lost its shine a bit ;-) BUT now I think that’s a very silly reason because Ruby would be perfect. I am also so smitten with Rufus, Ralph, Rafe, Rex, Rooney, Rachel, Ruth and Rosalind – just not for my kids. (and Hodge for Roger – YES I am recommending that from now on!)
Rupert & Ruby
ROISIN (pronounced Ro-sheen) for a girl.
I guess Robert for a boy. It’s a family name and I can’t think of another R boy name that I love.
Reese & Ronan
Since my own real name is a Rose- name I would probably not use a Rose- name for a real daughter (I am a big believer -for my family, not necessarily for other people’s- in everyone having their “own” first name). BUT I do love the name Rosalie, I think it is awfully sweet but still has a serious air that makes me think of capable grandmas (a good thing). Ramona is my runner-up and is the R name I would probably use on a daughter. For a boy’s name, I have loved Ronan for a long time and I’m sure I would use that.
Rory or Remy for a boy. I think I prefer Remy.
For a girl, Rosemarie. This is outside my usual style, but I kind of love it. I also like Renata with the nickname Wren.
A boy would be Raphael.
My favorite R name for girls is Rhiannon, but it sounds terrible with my last name and is a bit too unusual for me to use as a first name anyway. So, my actual choice would probably be a Rose- name, most likely Rosalie. There’s a Rozalia in my family tree, so Rosalie would have a nice family connection.
I like Ramona as a nod to my great grandmother Mona and Rosalie, among other Rose+ names.
Ruben for a boy.
I’m surprising myself with these selections:
Girl: Roma
Boy: Ravi
I had Ryan on my boy middle list once. I like it but I don’t love it. But I don’t think there is an R boy name I love. For girls, I love too many. I am stuck between Rhiannon, Rosemary, and Ruth.
For a girl, Ruth would be my choice even if it weren’t for RBG. I like short names, and although I am not religious, I like the bible story. I think it sounds extremely cute , but obviously can be taken seriously by jerks who might judge someone on their name (it passes the “judge test”.)
Alright, maybe Raquel actually because I don’t want another one syllable name with my kids. Raquel is one of my longest running favorites. I feel like it is kind of a badass sounding name, very feminine but without any frills.
For a boy, I would choose Reggie. I don’t think it would be short for Reginald, though. Rudy would be considered if it weren’t for the evil, stupid Rudy in the news.
Raina and Remy
So many great R names! For a girl I think Rebecca;
I love Rooney and Remy but they are style outliers. If Rebecca were out for some reason I might instead choose Rosalind or Reagan or Rowena. I also have a soft spot for Rhonda but am not sure it would be my top choice.
For a boy, I love Raleigh and Rhett and Raphael. Probably I would go with Rhett.
Rebecca and Rhett.
Rafael, nickname Rafe and Roselyn, nn Rosie.
R is full of favorites! Last pregnancy I campaigned hard for Rosey short for almost anything: Rosalind, Rosa, Rosemary. But Rebecca also sings to me.
In another life, I’d choose Robert, but alas. Roman is excellent. Aha! Raphael.
R: Rosa and Raphael
S: Sylvie and Samuel
T: Theodora and Timothy
U: Una and Ulysses
V: Vera and Valerian
W: Willa and Walter
X: Xenia and Xavier
Y: Yvaine and Yves
Z: Zinnia and Zachary
Rose and Roman. Almost used Rose on my daughter.
I love, love Rhiannon, but it sounds like much MIL’s nickname and middle name combined. Not someone I want to honor.
I love Rhys and Roger. And Ruth is lovely , but I have trouble pronouncing it.
I choose River, for a boy or girl. The imagery brings me joy and so many of my favorite songs mention, or are explicitly about, a river.
Rosa for a girl, for sure, no doubt. I pushed SO hard for it for my daughter but my husband stood firm :/
For a boy… I was going to half-heartedly say Rory. But then I remembered Rafael/Raphael which we very nearly named our son. Although that brings up Rafaela for a girl which I also love….
Rosalie for a girl and Roan for a boy.
For a boy, I like Remy or Rory. For a girl, Rose is hard to beat, but I would definitely consider Ruth/Ruthie.
I really like R names (and never used one).
For a girl I would use Ruby. For a boy, I think Rafe. However, strong contenders are: Remy, Riley, and Reed.
I love Ramona Rowena Rosa Romilly but I would probably choose Rosemary.
Rueben, Rowan, Rufus, Ryan or Rafe. I think is would choose Rowan ( or Rohan??).
Rosemary
Rowan
My DD is Ruth. But if we were to name another baby *right now* with another R name, I’d go with Rebecca to keep the biblical female R name theme going within our family.
Boy name: Ronan.
I have R names on an actual list so this was easy…..BUT I’m going need to ask Swistle to shush about Roger called Hodge! That’s top secret, haha!
I’d choose Roger (Hodge) for a boy and Ramona for a girl.
I had Rosemary on my list for a previous kid. I think it’s sweet and old fashioned with good nicknames. My daughter when she was little talked about having a sister named Rosabel which is really not my style but I thought it was cute she came up with it herself. (Spoiler, she ended up with a brother.)
Riley is sassy and cute for all genders. I also am a fan of River.
There was a Raul in the extended family which I find dashing.
And Rudy! Rudy is so cute…. but Rudoph is a lot.
I’m gonna say Ruby and Raphael.
I think R might be my love letter. I adore names that start with R and that feature R heavily! I really really love River, Rosa, Roslyn, and Runa for a girl. Love Redd and Rudy for a boy. (My other loves that I consider to be R heavy, are Wren, Ingrid, Ira, Iris, Edgar)
My son would have been Ruby (NN Rue) if he was a girl, so that will be my official choice.
I love Roger for a boy so much, but worked for a Roger for 4 years and the association is too strong now, but it can be the pick for the purposes of this game!
I forgot Fern and Florence in my R-heavy list. It seems I only like names that feature an R!
Girl: Rosalie
Boy: Riordan
Runners-up: Rowan, Ronan, Rohan, Roland, River, Raquel, Ripley
I always try to pick Hebrew names (like my kids’) but there are pronunciation issues with R names, so I’ll set myself free from those requirements this time.
Maybe Ray, Reid, or Rosa? I’m not an R-name lover :)
Rafael and Rose
This is a very tough letter for me. There are no “r” boy names that I would use IRL. The names that I find pleasant but wouldn’t use for one reason or another are Raul, Rhys, Russell, Rainier, Roderick, Rodrigo, Rhodri, Rhuaidri, Rufus, Rowan, Rohan, Ronan, and Ruslan. It would be odd to use Rafael for a half-brother to my son when it is his paternal grandfather’s name, but I didn’t use it on my son. There were four “r” names on my list for my son. Two of them (Reed and Rhett) were not chosen because they were only one syllable, and two of them (Roland and Rhydion) sounded like fantasy names. But if I named a baby with my favorite “r” name, I would go with Rhydion.
A girl name is even harder because of my own name. It’s an uncommon but short and simple family name passed down from my great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother, and as much as I would like to see it continue in the family, I would not want my own child to have the same name or a similar-sounding name. Most of my favorite “r” names, however, sound too much like it. These include Rhea, Rayna, Runa, Rana, Rowena, Riana, Ronia, Riva, Risa, and possibly even Raisa, Rhiannon, Rhianwen, Rowenna, and Ravenna. So what does that leave? I like Raven very much on other people’s children. Rafaella would also be odd to use for the half-sister of my son. I like Rosalie and Rosemary, but they are probably too far from my usual style. I would seriously consider Roisin, Romilly, Romola, Rilla, and Rusalka. If I was feeling fantastical, Rusalka would win, and if not, I might decide that Raisa was just different enough from my own name and pick that.
I think I’ll go with Rosalie and Rhett.
For a boy, either Reid or Rufus (my grandfather’s name). For a girl, Rosemary (called Romy) or Remy.
I actually proposed Rufus for one of my kids and my husband couldn’t get past the idea of kids calling him “Rufus the doofus.” 🙄
Rory for a boy (my son’s name!) or Rose for a girl.
Rafaela
River
I have a soft spot for Rayanne.
This is another one where I see how my taste in names has changed greatly over the years. Current me:
Girl: Rosalie or Romy. I’m warming up to Ruth because, damn, what a way to honor RBG.
Boy: Ronan or Roman.
Past contenders: Rowan, Rachel, Rhiannon, Ryan/Rianne. Briefly considered Robin for one of my own kids.
I was thinking about this when trying to fall asleep last night. I’m SURE about Ruth for a feminine name. For a masculine name, maybe Remy?
R is an easy one for me because two of my “almost” names (the names I would have used had my baby been the opposite sex) happen to be R names. If my oldest had been a girl he would have been Rosemary. I then went on to have two more babies, both girls, and even though I love Rosemary it didn’t feel right for them. With my last baby she would have been Roland had she been a boy.
I like R names in general, I guess, because I also really like Russell and Rhiannon. But if I had to name a baby tomorrow it would be Rosemary or Roland.
Girl: Rowan
Boy: Rafferty
I love Rani for a girl but think Romy ages better so I’m going to go with Romy. For boys I love River but dont feel like I could actually use it so instead I’ll go with Reed.
Raquel and Rhett
Rosalie and Ronan. Both on the list for the fetus I’m currently incubating.
I also love Ruth for a middle name consideration.
R is wonderful because I already have a little girl Rosemary! <3 (baby brother calls her "Roro" and it's super cute!) Other girl R names I like are Ramona, Rhiannon, Rowena. I'd probably go with Ramona.
For boys I like Raphael and Raul and Robert…I like Raphael the best but it would probably be more likely to be a middle name. I think Robert would fit best with the rest of my kids.
Robert & Rosemary.
Richard would have been my choice if I liked any of the (usable) nicknames.
I would absolutely use Richard or Robert as honor middle names, and I’m also fond of River, Russell, Ruth and Rebekah, but I think my picks are Rowan and Ramona, despite being comically, unusably bad with the last name our children will have.
I’ve been in love with Rupert for a boy since I was a kid, despite lukewarm feelings towards the bear of the same name. It just always sounded so gentle and sweet to me. So hands down, Rupert for a boy.
(Runners up would include Rafferty, Rufus, and Remington.)
For a girl, Rosalind!
(Runners up are Rhiannon, like many others, and Rhoswen.)
TL:DR– Ruben, Raisa
I have a R name son, Robert who goes by his full name, so Robert is obviously my favorite R name, but I am excluding it. (As an aside, I am shocked and pleased by all of the Robert love here, people have always asked with a bit of a sneer whether Robert was an honor name. It was, and it wasnt my favoritest boys name ever when I gave it to my child, but it is a lovely name!)
SO with that out of the way, I love the boys name Ruben and Russell. I would probably go Ruben.
For girls this is so much harder– I love the names Rachel and Rebecca, but I feel like I know just a million Rachels, making it probably a mom name, and I do dislike nicknames, making Rebecca at least a little tricky (although I made Robert work, so…) I have a great aunt Raisa, who was pivotal in allowing my family to come over from Europe during the Holocaust, so I think that is where I end up.
I like so many R names! My favorite gender-neutral R names are River, Rory, and Remy. I’d go with River because of the meaning.
For a male-assigned baby: Raphael, with the nickname Rafi. One of my long-time favorites.
For a female-assigned baby: Ramona. Although Ruby is a close runner-up.
I would also like to use my grandma’s name to honor her – Roslyn, nickname Roz – but I might use it as a middle.
I’m having a hard time with R names, and gender neutral is not my usual style, but you’re right: there are some great gender neutral R names! River, Rory, and Remy are all wonderful choices.
Lots of great R names!
Rachel was on the shortlist for my daughter’s name, so it’s a candidate. And I was reminded during X-names that I like Roxanne. I loved the Ramona books when I was kid and I think it’s nice and useable. My grandmother was Robina nn Ruby, so those are tempting, too. Rory is a unisex name that I do like for all genders. Hard to argue with Ruth. I cannot choose. But I “must.” Ruby and Ruth and Rory don’t work well with our surname, so I’ll scratch those. Fine. I choose Rachel. Only reluctantly because I don’t want to cut Roxanne or Ramona or Robina.
Reuben/Ruben have had my attention for some time. Raphael is a style departure for me but so nice. I think Roland and Roy are underused. I’d probably choose Reuben.
Rachel and Reuben
Sarah nn Sadie and Simon
Tamsin and Thomas
Ursula and Uriah
Vivian and Vincent
Willa and Wallace
Xinnia and Xavier
Yvonne and Yarden
Zavia and Zoran
I used Robyn to honor my grandfather Robert for my daughter. Ironically, since they are actually non-binary, they have only ever seen it as a male name ( we have a friend, The superhero, and a Robin Hood) so they like it very much.
If we had had a -aargh, I’m getting myself in trouble here- if we had thought our baby was a boy, his middle would’ve been Roderick, as a mash-up between Robert and my husband’s father, Richard. My husband said, wow, that’s kind of a cool name, maybe we should use that as a first, but our last name is Stewart, so nope. Still really like it, although I actually prefer Rodrigo. But since we’re playing…
For girls, I would’ve liked to use Rosalind. I love the nickname Rob, but I also might’ve gone with Roxie.
I was reading through the comments having a hard time coming up with R names, none of them were jumping out at me. Rose, Ruth, Ruby, all nice names but not too exciting, then RAMONA! How could I forget about Ramona? I love it!
For a boy is a bit harder. I’m liking Rufus, but would never use it in real life. Maybe Rupert? I think I’ll go with that.
Ramona and Rupert
Also, I’d been keeping a note on my phone with my favorites for each letter (I love when people paste each of their letters so far into the response), and I just got a new phone and my notes didn’t transfer over. So now I have to go through all my old comments to see what I put and resave them. :(
I have a Rafael. ❤️ I don’t love any other boy R names that I can think of but maybe Ransom.
For a girl, I love Rosemary, Rosa, and Raphaella, but my pick would definitely be Rowena ❤️
For girls, I like Raina and Ramona. Would probably go with Raina.
For boys, we almost used Rhys as a middle name in real life, and I do love Raphael/Rafi.
For either, Rowan is very pleasing.
River and Rowan. Love them BOTH for BOTH boys and girls. If I HAD to pick, River would be the boy and Rowan the girl.
Ramona and Roland
Love Ruben and Rufus too. Hubs totally vetoed those. Blah.
Any of the Rose names! I’d likely go with Just Rose. Boys names are a little harder-I think I’d probably go with Rowan.
For a girl I like Rae as a nickname but I don’t know what full name I would use. Maybe Rachel or Reagan? I’d also consider Rebekah.
For a boy, Richard is a family name on my side but I don’t like the nicknames, so maybe I’d do Richard John and call him RJ. I also like Rex – but is that a full name or a nickname?!
What if you went with Richard Alexander or just Richard Alex with the nickname Rex? I think it could totally work! (Richard Alex might be my favorite.) I’m not a fan of other Richard nicknames either, but I’m actually loving it with Rex.
Coming back to say I forgot about Roscoe which I love so much. I’m changing my boy pick to that.
Roscoe
Rosalie and Rider!
My grandparents were Ruth and Richard – hard to beat those.
Robert and Rose, nicknamed Robbie and Rosie!
Funnily enough, these are the names of the baby rabbit twins on ‘Peppa Pig’!
That was easy but Q is going to be tough.
I never realized how many R names I like!
Rachel, Rhoda, Ruth, Rosey, Ramona, Robin, Reece, Rigby! So many good ones. Rachel and Reece are family names and have been on our list. My husband doesn’t like Rachel as much as I do but if we ever had a second daughter, it is on the short list.
And Reece is on the shortlist for a boy.
So: Rachel and Reece
My husband’s choices:
Boy: Rhodi
Girl: Rosetta
Mine:
Boy: Remy or Rory
Girl: Rosalie
Ranulph and Ramona, although I also have a big soft spot for Raymond. Rosamond used to be a favourite but has lost its shine.
I posted my comment without reading any others, now I’ve had a look through and I can’t believe I forgot about Rhiannon! I’ve loved that name since I was a child. I wouldn’t be able to use it in real life as we’re not even a little bit Welsh and everyone here (in the UK) would assume we were if we used it. But in a fantasy world where that wasn’t an issue, definitely Rhiannon!
Roan or Roane for a boy (pronounce RONE, not Rowan)
Ruby or Ruth for a girl. I especially like Ruby as I have 2 great grandmas with this name and even a great great grandpa named Ruby!
Ramona & Ralph
I’m very late on some of these letters, but seems like catching up is a good way to distract while waiting for election results!
Girl – Rosemary
Boy – Ryan
Playing catch up. My name and my husband’s name both start with R, so we didn’t consider R names for our actual girls, but I like a lot of them: Ruth, Ruby, Rosalind, and Rosamund are my favorites. I would probably choose Ruth.
My favorite boy name is Robert, but that’s my ex’s name, and my BIL’s name, and it just has way too much baggage, even though I’d absolutely use it in a vacuum, with the nickname Robbie. For a name I could give an actual child, I guess I’d go with Rhys. Or maybe Roan.
Riley (girl) and Rory.
Girls is easy for me: Rebecca. It’s my current favorite girls name of all the letters.
I’m not too thrilled about any of the boys names, though. I like Richard, but it’s already used in my family. I ADORE Reginald, but my best friend wants to use it someday, and she’s pickier about names than I am, so I’ll let her have it. I asked my husband whether he likes Roch or Rocco better, and he prefers Rocco on the basis of its easiness to pronounce. I knew a really nice guy named Rocco once, so I think that’s enough to make me happy with the name until I can put the baby’s face to it, but I don’t know, maybe I should go more classic and widely-used with Robert. But then what if my friend Robert thinks we’re naming the baby after him. I just can’t do that. No, I choose Rocco.
R: Rebecca and Rocco
S: Susanna and Solomon
T: Theresa and Theodore
U: Ursula and Ulrich
V: Victoria and Victor
W: Winifred and William
X: Xandra and Xavier
Y: Yvette and Yakob
Z: Zelie and Zechariah