Red is the colour of fire and strong emotions. Mars, the Red planet, is named for the Roman god of war, and for centuries red has been connected with war and valour. It was for this reason that Roman armies fought in red, and generals upon receiving a triumph would paint their entire body red to celebrate. Red is used in national flags as the colour of courage and sacrifice, while "Red-blooded" refers to someone who is brave or ardent.
On the other hand, red is also the colour of Romance. Red roses, red hearts, red lipstick, strawberries, rubies all give red a passionate angle. In Feng Shui red signifies richness and luxury, and for the Chinese red symbolises good fortune.
Words used to desribe the colour red include: excitement, energy, heat, love, determination, strength, power, confidence, action, passion, impulse, daring, fire, vigorous, enthusiasm, energetic.
There are several shades of red including:
Auburn
Burgundy
Carmine
Carnelian
Cherry
Coral
Cornell
Crimson
Magenta
Maroon
Ruby
Scarlet
Red is found sometimes used as a first or middle name. Seven boys were named Red in 2010 in England and Wales, and there is some occasional use for girls. The word itself derives from the Old English Reed which was also used on seven boys in 2010.
Irish Gaelic has Flann "bright red" which has been used on both notable men and women in early Irish history. The element is also found in the diminutive Flannagan, Flannan, Flannat, Flannery "red valour" and Flannacha "red-warrior," from which we get the surname Clancy. Ruadh in Gaelic refers to "red-hair" and is anglicised as Roy. From this we get Ruadhan (Rowan) and Ruaidri (Rory) "red-haired king."
Ceara (or Cera) which also means "red", is a feminine name borne by three virgin saints.
Red options for girls include Akane in Japanese; and the precious stones Ruby, from the Latin ruber "red", and Garnet, from Middle English gernet "dark red." For boys we find Edom in Hebrew; Altan "red-earth" in Turkish; Pyrrhus "flame-red" in Greek; Russell "little red" in French; Rufus, the Latin term for "red-haired"; Rumen "red-cheeked" in Bulgarian; and Rohit in Sanskrit.
Unisex options are found in Shani, the Hebrew for red/scarlet and Phoenix, the mythical bird derived from the Greek φοινιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
For further translations we could look to Rouge (French), Rojo (Spanish), Rosso (Italian), Ruth (Cornish), Read (Frisian) and Mena (Malagasi).