Names That Mean Ruler
Across 9 pages
of 9
Richárd
Hungarian variation of Richard, German
"dominant ruler"
Hendrick
Variation of Hendrik, Dutch and Scandinavian
"estate ruler"
Unless you're a gin aficionado, we prefer Hendrik. Or better yet, Henrik.
Hakan
Turkish
"emperor, ruler"
A Turkish twist on the trend for ruler names. Spelled Håkan, this is the Swedish form of Haakon. It may also be a Native American name meaning "fiery".
Tiidrik
Estonian variation of Theodoric, German
"people's ruler"
An old Estonian cognate of Theodoric. The common nickname is TIit, so probably best avoided in the US.
Eiro
Finnish variation of Eirik, Old Norse
"eternal ruler"
Eiro is to Eirik as Eero is to Eric.
Vladko
Diminutive of Vladimir, Slavic
"great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world"
Henri
French and Finnish variation of Henry, German
"estate ruler"
The chic Euro spelling of Henry is rising along with the original form.
Roric
English, Germanic
"famous ruler"
Alternate Anglicization of Rurik, a powerful name related to Roderick with a meaning to match. This spelling shortens naturally to cool nickname Rory.
Emirhan
Turkish
"princely ruler"
Properly written with a Turkish dotted I, this handsome Turkish name derives from two elements both with regal meanings.
Hatty
English, diminutive of Harriet
"estate ruler"
Hatty is an old school nickname for Harriet, itself an old-fashioned choice. The more usual spelling historically is Hattie, with was given to more than 750 baby girls last year in the US, three…
Geralt
German
"ruler with the spear"
Geralt is an antiquated version of the old-fashioned name Gerald, which has been dropping toward the bottom of the US Top 1000 since the early 1940s and finally dropped out in 2021. Geralt is seeing…
Vladimyr
Variation of Vladimir, Slavic
"great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world"
Heinrich
German
"estate ruler"
Traditional German names of this ilk have had a difficult time emigrating into the American name pool, mostly because anti-German sentiment during the two world wars of the 20th century drove German…
Harry
Diminutive of Harriet, English
"estate ruler"
Rarely given as a full name for baby girls, but occasionally used as a nickname for names such as Harriet and Henrietta.
Henrick
German
"home ruler"
Anglicized form of Heinrich
Hettie
Diminutive of Henrietta, English
"estate ruler"
It may take another generation or so, but this category of Hettie-Lettie-Lottie names could make a comeback.
Wout
Diminutive of Wouter, Dutch from Old German
"army ruler"
The Dutch equivalent of Walt makes the Top 100 in Belgium, where Flemish parents love short, sweet names.
Hetty
English diminutive of Henrietta, English, or Mehetabel, Hebrew
"estate ruler; God makes happy"
A classic short form of Henrietta, also seen as a nickname for Mehetabel.
Watt
English and Scottish diminutive of Walter, German
"army ruler"
Vladi
Diminutive of Vladimir, Slavic
"great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world"