Names That Mean Hero

A hugely popular choice for boys in England and Wales, Finley has been used for both sexes in the US since the early 2000s, and has since become one of the most popular unisex names. Until recently, it was tilting slightly towards the girl side, however, as of 2024, it leans more masculine.

This was Irish name was once used exclusively for boys, and remains so in England and Wales where it's a Top 50 choice. In the US, however, celebs Jason Sehorn, Angie Harmon, and Lisa Marie Presley inspired many parents to consider this name for girls instead, after they chose it for their daughters. In fact, up until 2024, it ranked considerably higher for girls than it did for boys.

The two X's may be a challenge for even the most intrepid baby namer. Xerxes was the name of two early kings of Persia and the Handel opera Serse or Xerxes is loosely based on Xerxes I.

Finlay is a Scottish royal name: it belonged to Macbeth's father, Finlay MacRory--or Findlaech mac Ruaidri--that has a bit of a split personality. It has two acceptable spellings--Finlay and Finley, the first more popular in its native Scotland, where it ranks in the Top 10, the second in the US. It is also becoming more and more unisex in the States, with the Finley spelling now split between girls and boys, while Finlay was used last year for TEN TIMES as many boys as girls, about 50 to only five.

Heron may feel like a very usable nature name -- the heron is a long-legged wading bird -- but it was also the name of a 1st century Greek inventor and of an Egyptian saint. Highly unusual yet easy to understand and meaningful on several levels, Heron is a fantastic choice.

Well used in Russia, this is a distinctive and undiscovered choice here. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky.

Legend joins cousins Story, Saga and Fable in the baby name pantheon of narrative words. Unlike Story and Fable, however, Legend comes with additional weight, being used for fame ("living legend") and to denote a person who is fantastic "what a legend"). Who can live up to that?

Presidential name that makes a fresh substitute for MacKenzie or McKenna. Possible spelling variations include MacKinley, MacKinlee, Makinleigh ad almost infinitum. McKinley is one of the Scottish names for girls that can work equally well for boys.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an Akkadian poem from Mesopotamia and one of the oldest works of literature that survives today. It follows the story of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian king who journeys to find the secret to immortality. Gilgamesh's name is so strongly tied to the epic, that it would be difficult to wear by anyone else.

Heron fits in with the modern nature names that are so stylish at the moment, but it also has history as the name of a Greek inventor and Egyptian saint. Both were male, but Heron's image as a word name makes it accessible for girls as well.

Halen is a cool surname name that will be especially appealing to fans of Van Halen.

Derived from the Xhosa and Zulu word for "hero", qhawe

Variant of Erinna

Finlay is a Scottish royal name (it belonged to Macbeth"s father) that was revived by several celebrity parents who did a gender switch when they used it for their daughters. Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn, Daniel Baldwin and Lisa Marie Presley all named their daughters Finley.

The double 'e' gives this Celtic surname a genial sound. It derives from an old Irish name — Suibhne (SHEEV-ne) that was borne by several early saints and kings, including, unfortunately, one known as Mad Sweeney who spent his life living in trees and composing nature poetry. Another possible drawback is the association with Sweeney Todd, the bloodthirsty butcher of Sondheim stage-musical fame.

The o ending and the positive meaning in many languages makes this a winner, and with the feminine Vera making a surprise return, and the new love for the letter 'V', this becomes a name that has definite possibilities.

Erinna was an ancient poetess from the island of Telos near Rhodes. Only fragments of her poems remain, which were reproduced in Bergk's Poetae Lyrici Graeci (published in 1900).

Io is most familiar to English speakers as a female name from Greek mythology, but in Japan it's used for both sexes.

Sikh name with two appealing meanings, derived from the Sanskrit vīra, meaning "brave, heroic".