Names That Mean Power

  1. Althea
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "with healing power"
    • Description:

      Althea is a poetic, almost ethereal name found in Greek myth and pastoral poetry, associated in modern times with the great tennis player Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win at Wimbledon.
  2. Merrick
    • Origin:

      Anglo-Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "fame, power"
    • Description:

      A strong, attractive surname name with a mix of possible origins: either from the Welsh first name Meuric,which is a form of Maurice, and contains Germanic elements meaning fame and power, or from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning a fork in a river or a road, which led to the name of several places named Merrick in Scotland. The Supreme Court saga of Justice Merrick Garland almost certainly caused the bump in popularity that propelled Merrick to its US Top 1000 debut in 2016.

      Despite its ancient history, Merrick these days sounds more modern than the somewhat tired Derek.

  3. Montgomery
    • Origin:

      Norman
    • Meaning:

      "man power"
    • Description:

      This image of this distinguished Anglo-Scottish surname, drawn from the French place name of the ancient castle of Saint Foi de Montgomery, is rapidly shifting from fusty and formal to cool. And dashing short form Monty (or Monte) nudges it to cute.
  4. Reginald
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "counsel power"
    • Description:

      Now seen as the chap in the smoking jacket in a 1930s drawing-room comedy, Reginald has actually been on the US popularity list every year since 1880.
  5. Emeric
    • Origin:

      French form of German Emmerich
    • Meaning:

      "power"
    • Description:

      A name popular both in France (where it's Number 405) and within the Cajun population, it's more substantial than Eric, and occurs twice in the Harry Potter series.
  6. Reggie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Reginald
    • Meaning:

      "counsel power"
    • Description:

      Old time nickname that's starting to sound fresh again, à la Alfie and Freddie.
  7. Monte
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Montgomery, Norman, Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "man power; mountain"
    • Description:

      Monte, pronounced with two syllables as brother Monty, is an old-fashioned nickname-name that's reclaiming a certain amount of dash and charm. It was recently chosen by actor Guy Pearce--which may signal a comeback.
  8. Wulfric
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "wolf power"
    • Description:

      Most famous as one of the many middle names of Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter, Wulfric is an earlier form of the medieval English name Ulric. It has also belonged to an 11th- century Earl of Mercia and a 12th-century saint.
  9. Amaury
    • Origin:

      French form of Amalric
    • Meaning:

      "work power"
    • Description:

      Friendlier french form of ancient Germanic royal name Amalric or Emmerich.
  10. Oswald
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "divine power"
    • Description:

      Despite the success of so many O-starting boys names--Oliver, Owen, Otis, Oscar--Oswald has not yet shown any signs of resurrection, though he does have the animating nicknames Ozzie/Ozzy and Oz. The name has some literary cred--in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare's King Lear and a novel by H. G.Wells--and there was early cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
  11. Cyrene
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "supreme power"
    • Description:

      Cyrene was a mythical nymph and huntress who was beloved by Apollo. An ancient city in Libya was named after her.
  12. Montgomery
    • Origin:

      Norman
    • Meaning:

      "man power"
    • Description:

      Montgomery is an increasingly popular name for boys, especially in the UK, and now it's being used for girls as well in the US, where more than 50 baby girls were named Montgomery last year.
  13. Shakti
    • Origin:

      Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "power"
    • Description:

      Shakti is the female equivalent of the god Shiva in Hinduism. A sacred name sometimes used in a secular way.
  14. Elfrida
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "elf power"
    • Description:

      The name of the mother of Aethelred the Unready was once common among the Anglo-Saxon nobility, and was briefly revived during the 19th century, only to be lost once again to history.
  15. Ikenna
    • Origin:

      Igbo
    • Meaning:

      "father's power"
    • Description:

      Ikenna's meaning makes it a subtle way to honor a father or grandfather. Ikenna is the name of a popular YouTube star.
  16. Ulric
    • Origin:

      English variation of Ulrich and Wulfric, German
    • Meaning:

      "rich and noble heritage; wolf power"
    • Description:

      Also related to the word for wolf, this name has a first syllable that's not appealing to the American ear. Better ic-ending choices: Dominic, Frederic, Eric.
  17. Malthe
    • Origin:

      Danish
    • Meaning:

      "Rule / Power"
    • Description:

      This name has been used in Denmark since the 13th Century, and is once again very popular there, now being in the Top 10. We don't see it crossing the Atlantic anytime soon, despite the strong meaning.
  18. Godric
    • Origin:

      Anglo-Saxon
    • Meaning:

      "God's power"
    • Description:

      Godric is one of the unique baby names that has found more exposure since J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe came into our lives. Godric Gryffindor is an important historical figure in the series. In real life, Godric was a name popular in middle England, with many saints and sheriffs of the 11th century bearing the name. Godric, like other old English names Arthur, Edwin and Oswald, has potential to make a comeback as an easily-recognizable but creative choice for parents looking for names that are unique without being too challenging.
  19. Trillion
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "third power of a million"
    • Description:

      It's difficult to conceptualize the numerical value of a trillion, but this extraordinarily large number name is a rising choice for baby boys.
  20. Sovereign
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "supreme ruler, ultimate power"
    • Description:

      Sovereign is a new addition to the baby name lexicon, recently used by such celebrity parents as Cam Newton and Usher for their daughters. But don't mistake it for an exclusively feminine name — part of Sovereign's appeal is its gender-neutral status, as it's given to roughly equal numbers of girls and boys each yera.