Nature, Place and Word Names · Baby Name Meanings
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 3 pages
of 3
Word name
"deliberately setting fire to property"
Sure, Arson is a crime, but anecdotally, many of the parents who choose this name do so because Arson = "our son."
English word name
"tank"
Military word names, from Cannon to Major, are in, but Tank might push things a bit too far.
"ability level; diameter of a gun barrel"
Caliber belongs to the class of tough boy names — along with Shooter, Wesson, and Trigger — that are given to a small but notable number of boys each year. We generally discourage parents from using…
A Beretta is a gun, so named because of the Italian firearms manufacturer that makes it. And now Beretta is also a badass baby name, used in the middle for daughter Breeze by Bristol Palin baby daddy…
Weapon-related names like Saber have been on the rise in recent years. In 2014, ten baby boys in the US were named Saber and five Sabre. The name may also relate to the Arabic Sabir, though to…
"releasing device; to initiate"
This name might be too, well, triggering.
English place name
A distinguished-sounding place name with a cool, positive "win" sound. The original Winchester was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex.
Axe, spelled like this, is used for a handful of baby boys in the US each year. You can see it as one of the new weapon names, along with Dagger and Beretta, or as an abbreviation of the very popular…
Dagger is one of the new badass baby names , a sharp and scary choice that some parents may feel arm their child for battle in a cruel modern world.
"beautiful, good looking; shockingly good; weapon"
Used to describe an amazingly beautiful person and a surprisingly good day or event, Stunner also also in the scifi series, Dune as a type of weapon. Similar in vibe to Gunner or Cannon, it was given…
"person who fires a gun; member of a sports team who scores goals"
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…
"a very large nail"
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…
Variation of Caliber, English word name
Spelling it with a K doesn't do much to separate Kaliber from Caliber's violent image.
English place- and word name
This British river name sounds sleek and strong but perhaps a bit too energetic.
English
"galvanize, encourage; mountainous ridge"
"fiream"
A contemporary choice, Pistol entered the stats in the US back in 2010 for boys and then in 2013 for girls too. Given to around 80 babies throughout the 2010s, it has fallen out of favor in the…
"weapon used to beat and blog; to move fast; political official"
Is Whip in line with energetic names like Bolt and Dash or does it lean more towards the violent side with Gunner, Blade, and Shooter? Alternatively, is it an occupational name, associated with…
"someone who beats, whips, and hits; the winner of a competition"
Is Thrasher a totally violent choice, or a cool, edgy, and triumphant name, shared with a skateboarding magazine? It's up to you, though it does sound fairly harsh in our opinion. Nevertheless, five…
"tool used to break something; murderer, mutilator; an excellent time"
Ripper can be used to describe having a mighty good time or something of particularly good quality, however the infamous Jack the Ripper connection does rather overpower that. While Ripper did make…
