You’ll probably recognize many of the names on this list as names that begin with ‘R’ are common in Hispanic communities. The soft rolling ‘R’ is a signature Spanish sound so it’s unsurprising that it has found its way into Spanish names.
While some of the following names are unique to Hispanic culture, others have been adapted from other origins but have since become known as Spanish names in their own right due to their popularity. This means that some of the names included have equivalents in English while being regarded as a definitively Spanish name. Some examples are Raul – from the English Ralph, Ricardo – from the English Richard, and Rodrigo – from the Germanic Hrodric.
You’ll probably find that these were the names of various settlers or visitors to the region that have been adapted to better suit Spanish sounds. Most Spanish names have much softer sounds than those from other cultures and so names like Robert need to be adapted to the gentler Roberto to fit into the Spanish language.
If you can’t find a name you like on this list, you could follow this method to adapt a name you like from another language to sound more Spanish. Why not create a new, unique version of a name that works for your family and suits your heritage?
Radames
Meaning: Egyptian hero of Verdi’s opera “Aïda”
Origin: Egyptian
Rafael
Meaning: God has healed
Origin: Hebrew
Raul
Meaning: Wolf counsel
Origin: Spanish
Ricardo
Meaning: Powerful leader
Origin: Old German
Raimundo
Meaning: Wise defender
Origin: Spanish
Ramirez
Meaning: Judicious
Origin: Spanish
Ramiro
Meaning: Judicious
Origin: Spanish
Ramon
Meaning: Form of Raymond ‘Guards wisely.’
Origin: Spanish
Ramses
Meaning: Begotten by Ra, the sun god
Origin: Egyptian
Randall
Meaning: Wolf shield
Origin: Old German
Raulo
Meaning: Wise
Origin: Spanish
Rayman
Meaning: Form of Raymond ‘Guards wisely.’
Origin: Spanish
Rene
Meaning: Rebirth
Origin: French
Remmy
Meaning: From Rheims
Origin: French
Renaldo
Meaning: Counselor-ruler
Origin: Spanish
Renato
Meaning: To rise again
Origin: Spanish
Reno
Meaning: Short form for names like Moreno
Origin: Spanish
Rey
Meaning: King
Origin: Spanish
Reys
Meaning: Kings
Origin: Spanish
Reynaldo
Meaning: Counselor-ruler
Origin: Spanish
Reynardo
Meaning: Strong counselor
Origin: Spanish
Ricardo
Meaning: Strong ruler
Origin: Spanish
Richie
Meaning: Variant of Richard
Origin: Spanish
Rico
Meaning: Strong ruler
Origin: Spanish
Rio
Meaning: River
Origin: Spanish
Ritchie
Meaning: Variant of Richard
Origin: Spanish
Roano
Meaning: Reddish brown skin
Origin: Spanish
Roberto
Meaning: Bright fame
Origin: Old German
Robin
Meaning: Famous, bright, shining
Origin: English
Rodas
Meaning: Roses
Origin: Spanish
Roderigo
Meaning: Notable leader
Origin: Spanish
Rodolfo
Meaning: Spanish form of Rudolph ‘famous wolf’
Origin: Spanish
Rodrigo
Meaning: Famous ruler
Origin: Spanish
Rogelio
Meaning: Famous soldier. Renouned spearman
Origin: Spanish
Roger
Meaning: Famous spearman
Origin: Old German
Roldan
Meaning: Famous
Origin: Spanish
Romeo
Meaning: From Rome
Origin: Spanish
Ronaldo
Meaning: Rules with counsel. Form of Ronald
Origin: Spanish
Roque
Meaning: Rock
Origin: Spanish
Rosario
Meaning: Rosary. Refers to devotional prayers honoring Mary
Origin: Spanish
Ruben
Meaning: See, a son!
Origin: Spanish
Rufio
Meaning: Red haired
Origin: Spanish
