Names That Mean Powerful

An fearsome old Norse name with a long history in Scandinavia. It's gotten a boost in the States from popularity of the History Channel drama "Vikings," in which the protagonist is named Ragnar. Ragnar Lodbrok (meaning "shaggy pants") was a legendary warrior whose story was told in the Viking sagas. Ragnar also recalls name of the Norse Judgment Day, Ragnarök.

A name used in the Caribbean, taken from the Rastafarian term that translates best to "positive and powerful." Rastas often greet each other by saying, "Are you feeling Irie today?"

Aziza is a zippy palindromic choice that is the female variation of Aziz and is found in several Middle Eastern and African languages and cultures. All in all, an attractive and interesting option; a Turkish variation is Azize. In African mythology, the Azizi are a supernatural race of forest dwellers who give practical and spiritual advice.

This short and strong Swahili name shares lots of sounds with trending Ezra and Enzo, and has a great meaning too.

A tip-top word name—literally, Zenith means the top or apex. Zen makes a cute nickname.

Aza is an excellent Arabic choice: elegant and simple. Too simple for you? Consider Aziza.

Associated with Reynard the cunning fox in medieval European animal tales. Reynard can make an unusual yet historic choice for a modern boy, a modern day Richard or Robert.

in 2021, Katharine McPhee and David Foster named their son Rennie David Foster, a family name on Foster's side. Rennie has a history of use as nickname for the French Rene, as well as other names with the ren element, such as Warren and Ren itself, which has Japanese origins.

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.

Irie is an upbeat and modern name that originated as a Rastafarian term for "positive and powerful."

Riker gets relatively little use as a variation of Ryker, likely because of the connection to Riker's Island, the New York City prison. It was named after NYC magistrate Richard Riker, whose ancestor Abraham Rycken first purchased the island.

Aza's similarity to the biblical name Asa makes it ripe for adaptation. If you want something more elaborate, you might consider Azariah. Something simpler? It doesn't get much simpler and that is the beauty of Aza (or Asa).

This short and strong Swahili name shares lots of sounds with trending Ezra and Enzo, and has a great meaning too. This name is considered unisex in East Africa.

This name has considerable meaning in the Islamic world, as Hamzah the brave was the uncle and protector of the Prophet of Islam. A more contemporary Hamzah is the eldest son of the late King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan. More commonly encountered in English-speaking countries as Hamza.

This traditional Arabic name, found throughout several other Middle Eastern and African languages and cultures, is one of the 99 names of Allah. Colorful and energetic, it was brought into the realm of crossover possibility via the lively personality of Aziz Ansari, stand-up comic and star of "Master of None" as well as a featured actor on "Parks and Recreation," playing cocky Tom Haverford (born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani).

Richmond is a place-name — it's the capital of Virginia — that makes a fresh way to honor an ancestral Richard.

The surname Reynolds derived from the given name Reynold, which was common during the Middle Ages. Reynolds Woodcock was the name of the designer character played by Daniel Day Lewis in Phantom Thread. Reynie is a possible short form.

A gorgeous derivation of the Old Norse name Sigifrid.

A truly gender-neutral surname name used equally between the sexes.

Qadir is a classic Muslim name that represents one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah. Since the initial Q is pronounced as K, this handsome name is sometimes Anglicized as Kadir.