Cat Names That Mean Brave

A more modern variation of Rǫskva, a Norse mythological name derived from rǫskr, "brave".

Possibly meaning "bold", this West African surname is less commonly found as a first name, too.

An English surname and occasional first name deriving from the same root as Baldwin, "bold or brave friend".

You’re unlikely to hear Howardena on a baby girl today, but art lovers may recognize it as the name of Howardena Pindell, an American painter and mixed media artist.

Forget Donald. Honor Grandpa Don with this new spin.

Too close in sound to the so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out Bernard.

Very common in early Ireland and still in use there today, it was the name of an eighth century high king and also a saint. Not as well known in this country as Fergus, Fergal is currently appearing as a character on the TV series Catastrophe.

Makes Donna into a cool twenty-first-century unisex Irish surname.

Gasira is a journeyed name with an ancient history. It started as the Arabic word gezira (also commonly transliterated as jazira and jazeera), meaning "island," and sometimes "peninsula."

Derived from the personal name Adalhard.

Interesting and energetic international form of Ferdinand.

This more elaborate but not unfamiliar spelling of Riley feels oddly more feminine. Designer and Beatle daughter Stella McCartney has a daughter named Reilley. Still, Reilly or more common Riley is one name that's remained popular for both boys and girls.

Nenna is the name of the heroine of Penelope Fitzgerald's novel Offshore, but it's also sparingly used in Scandinavia as a variant of the name Nanna. Nanna is a diminutive of various names, including Anna, Johanna and Marianne, but it's also a name in its own right, possibly meaning "daring".

Derived from Germanic kuni "clan, family", but also a short form of Konrad, meaning "brave counsel". Konrad I, Duke of Swabia is also known as Kuno of Öhningen.

Baby-naming rule #984: forget any name that contains the syllable wig.

This spelling variation of Hardy is associated with the American fast-food chain.

Used in Italy and Spain, but in non-Latin countries could be confused with Valencia.

Dutch form of Baldwin

Nanna is a name from Norse mythology that is among the Top 30 names in contemporary Denmark. Popular in Norway in the 19th century, Nanna may also be considered a short form of a range of names, from Anna to Johanna to Marianne. As widespread as it is in Scandinavia, though, it's hard to imagine Nanna making a mark as a girl's name in modern day America, given its use as a name for grandmothers.