Gun and Weapon Baby Names
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Baby names drawn from the names of guns and other weapons have become more prevalent in recent years, with choices like Colt, Remington, and Cannon ranking high in the US.
Most gun and weapon names are chosen in support of the American constitutional right to bear arms. Support for the military, a love of hunting and cowboys, and a celebration of aggressive, macho culture also go into the trend for gun and weapon baby names.
Here are the current gun and weapon baby names, most of them for boys, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
- Archer
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"bowman"Description:
Archer is an Anglo-Saxon surname that feels more modern than most because of its on-target occupational and Hunger Games associations. And it's a nice way to bypass the clunky Archibald to get to the cool nickname Archie.
- Gage
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"oath, pledge"Description:
Gage was part of the craze for one-syllable surnames, with associations to tasty green gage plums and the mathematical gauge.
- Hunter
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"one who hunts"Description:
Hunter has been dropping a bit for the past few years but is still one of the leaders of a distinctive band of boys' names that combines macho imagery (Hunter, Austin, Harley) with a softened masculinity. Hunter was for years attached to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson; Josh Holloway used it for his son.
- Arson
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"deliberately setting fire to property"Description:
Sure, Arson is a crime, but anecdotally, many of the parents who choose this name do so because Arson = "our son."
- Blaze
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"fire"Description:
Originally a form of the saint's name Blaise, though now more likely to be a hot word name used for both sexes, though heavily weighted toward the boys. It has been in the boys' Top 1000 since the year 2000. On the pop culture side of things, Blaze Bayley is a singer and musician who has been connected to the bands Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden.
- Colt
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"young horse"Description:
Colt is the kind of unconventionally macho name that is so trendy right now, because of or in spite of its association with horses and guns.
- Talon
Origin:
French word nameMeaning:
"large claw of a bird of prey"Description:
Despite its somewhat menacing meaning, this name has been widely used in recent years, probably due to the appeal of its trendy on ending.
- Lance
Origin:
English word name or English variation of Lanzo, German "long, pointed, medieval weapon; land"Meaning:
"long, pointed, medieval weapon; land"Description:
Though the fuller Lancelot has for the most part been shunned as a 'too-much-name' name, the short form Lance has been consistently in or around the Top 500 since 1938, climbing as high as Number 76 in 1970. It was used as a character name by Walter Scott as far back as 1823. Lance is also the name of a medieval weapon, making this name all boy.
- Remington
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place on a riverbank"Description:
Remington Steele was the perfect name for an upper-crust action hero on 1980s television. Now, Remington is catching fire along with a new generation of predatory baby boy names such as Hunter, Gunner, and Colt. Or you might consider it a unisex namewith a buttoned-up British feel and the friendly short form Rem or Remy.
- Arrow
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Words are not always easy to translate into baby names, but the implications of being straight and swift lend this one great potential as a name. It also has the popular o-sound ending, which brings it further into the realm of possibility. Rising rock star Aja Volkman pulled a gender switch when she named her daughter Arrow Eve.
- Stone
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Though some may find such names rather harsh and severe, increasing numbers of parents are gravitating toward this kind of flinty, steely, stony single-syllable name.
- Cannon
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Cannon sits amongst other weapon names like Colt, Pistol, Lance, and Remington. Definitely a name that offers bombast.
- Gunner
Origin:
Scandinavian variation of GuntherMeaning:
"bold warrior"Description:
The kind of nouveau macho name favored by NRA-leaning parents, Gunner could appeal to those who like other more military or gun inspired names, such as Hunter, Remington, and Cannon. It got a boost up the charts in 2009 when The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers gave it to his son.
- Rocket
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Starbaby name that might prove too supercharged for real life, but if like director Robert Rodriguez you're interested only in boys' names starting with R, you may need to add Rocket (and Rebel and Racer) to your list.
- Spike
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"a very large nail"Description:
Spike is part mid-century nickname-name, ala Buster or Buck, and part word name, with an all-over cool creative dude feel thanks to directors Spike Lee and Spike Jonze. Mike Myers named his son Spike. That's right: Spike and Mike. Spike qualifies as one of the distinctly American names.
- Blade
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
One of the new crop of boys' names that manage to be unconventional and macho at the same time — though Blade verges on the threatening.
- Blade
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
One of the new crop of boys' names that manage to be unconventional and macho at the same time — though Blade verges on the threatening.
- Shooter
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"person who fires a gun; member of a sports team who scores goals"Description:
More than 300 babies have been named Shooter in the US since 2002, which, depending on who you ask, is arguably about 300 too many. One of the violent names for boys that have gained traction in recent years, the most optimistic view perhaps is that parents were thinking about sports or honoring a family connection to the militiary when choosing this name.
- Wesson
Origin:
Variation of Weston, EnglishMeaning:
"from the western town"Description:
This weapon name, linked to arms manufacturer Smith and Wesson, entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
- Tank
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"tank"Description:
Military word names, from Cannon to Major, are in, but Tank might push things a bit too far.