diff --git a/apis/r/R/RcppExports.R b/apis/r/R/RcppExports.R
index a4c0f9aaf0..f5906c2c9b 100644
--- a/apis/r/R/RcppExports.R
+++ b/apis/r/R/RcppExports.R
@@ -198,6 +198,10 @@ ndim <- function(uri, ctxxp) {
     .Call(`_tiledbsoma_ndim`, uri, ctxxp)
 }
 
+c_dimnames <- function(uri, ctxxp) {
+    .Call(`_tiledbsoma_c_dimnames`, uri, ctxxp)
+}
+
 resize <- function(uri, new_shape, ctxxp) {
     invisible(.Call(`_tiledbsoma_resize`, uri, new_shape, ctxxp))
 }
diff --git a/apis/r/R/TileDBArray.R b/apis/r/R/TileDBArray.R
index 8ed0bfd571..fb7719544e 100644
--- a/apis/r/R/TileDBArray.R
+++ b/apis/r/R/TileDBArray.R
@@ -260,12 +260,7 @@ TileDBArray <- R6::R6Class(
     #' @description Retrieve dimension names (lifecycle: maturing)
     #' @return A character vector with the array's dimension names
     dimnames = function() {
-      vapply(
-        self$dimensions(),
-        FUN = tiledb::name,
-        FUN.VALUE = vector("character", 1L),
-        USE.NAMES = FALSE
-      )
+      c_dimnames(self$uri, private$.soma_context)
     },
 
     #' @description Retrieve attribute names (lifecycle: maturing)
diff --git a/apis/r/src/RcppExports.cpp b/apis/r/src/RcppExports.cpp
index dceab26f3e..332271939d 100644
--- a/apis/r/src/RcppExports.cpp
+++ b/apis/r/src/RcppExports.cpp
@@ -428,6 +428,18 @@ BEGIN_RCPP
     return rcpp_result_gen;
 END_RCPP
 }
+// c_dimnames
+Rcpp::CharacterVector c_dimnames(const std::string& uri, Rcpp::XPtr<somactx_wrap_t> ctxxp);
+RcppExport SEXP _tiledbsoma_c_dimnames(SEXP uriSEXP, SEXP ctxxpSEXP) {
+BEGIN_RCPP
+    Rcpp::RObject rcpp_result_gen;
+    Rcpp::RNGScope rcpp_rngScope_gen;
+    Rcpp::traits::input_parameter< const std::string& >::type uri(uriSEXP);
+    Rcpp::traits::input_parameter< Rcpp::XPtr<somactx_wrap_t> >::type ctxxp(ctxxpSEXP);
+    rcpp_result_gen = Rcpp::wrap(c_dimnames(uri, ctxxp));
+    return rcpp_result_gen;
+END_RCPP
+}
 // resize
 void resize(const std::string& uri, Rcpp::NumericVector new_shape, Rcpp::XPtr<somactx_wrap_t> ctxxp);
 RcppExport SEXP _tiledbsoma_resize(SEXP uriSEXP, SEXP new_shapeSEXP, SEXP ctxxpSEXP) {
@@ -655,6 +667,7 @@ static const R_CallMethodDef CallEntries[] = {
     {"_tiledbsoma_maybe_soma_joinid_maxshape", (DL_FUNC) &_tiledbsoma_maybe_soma_joinid_maxshape, 2},
     {"_tiledbsoma_has_current_domain", (DL_FUNC) &_tiledbsoma_has_current_domain, 2},
     {"_tiledbsoma_ndim", (DL_FUNC) &_tiledbsoma_ndim, 2},
+    {"_tiledbsoma_c_dimnames", (DL_FUNC) &_tiledbsoma_c_dimnames, 2},
     {"_tiledbsoma_resize", (DL_FUNC) &_tiledbsoma_resize, 3},
     {"_tiledbsoma_tiledbsoma_upgrade_shape", (DL_FUNC) &_tiledbsoma_tiledbsoma_upgrade_shape, 3},
     {"_tiledbsoma_sr_setup", (DL_FUNC) &_tiledbsoma_sr_setup, 10},
diff --git a/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp b/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp
index ced9ba4951..3cb7acf25e 100644
--- a/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp
+++ b/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp
@@ -331,6 +331,21 @@ Rcpp::NumericVector ndim(
     return Rcpp::NumericVector::create(lib_retval);
 }
 
+// [[Rcpp::export]]
+Rcpp::CharacterVector c_dimnames(
+    const std::string& uri, Rcpp::XPtr<somactx_wrap_t> ctxxp) {
+    auto sr = tdbs::SOMAArray::open(OpenMode::read, uri, ctxxp->ctxptr);
+    auto lib_retval = sr->dimension_names();
+    sr->close();
+
+    size_t n = lib_retval.size();
+    Rcpp::CharacterVector retval(n);
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+        retval[i] = lib_retval[i];
+    }
+    return retval;
+}
+
 // [[Rcpp::export]]
 void resize(
     const std::string& uri,