Names That Mean Freedom

A worldly and attractive choice for a child of any background. Two early New World explorers were Hernandos — de Soto and Cortés.

The name of an important figure in the Book of Judges, a judge from Gilead who helped the Israelites defeat the hated Ammonites. Jephthah and its various derivative spellings have seldom been used as first names since Biblical times, but that may change going forward, thanks to Duck Dynasty castmember Jules Jeptha "Jep" Robertson.

One of the classic hippie word names. In the 1970s, actors Barbara Hershey and David Carradine gave this name to their son...who later changed it to Tom.

While Franklin and Frankie might feel familiar in the US, Fran may feel like an unlikely choice for a boy today, however, it is currently one of several cool one syllable names of the Slovene Top 100. Also borne by football great Fran Tarkenton, it could make an alternative to Finn or Dan, and fit in with softer or gender neutral leaning options like Rowan, Jay, Beau, and Ozzie.

This nouveau spelling peaked at Number 583 in 2004. In spite of its trend-making K and "ee" ending, Karlee is much less popular than the original Carly.

One of the most attractive and unusual spins on the "Fran" franchise.

Libertad is the forceful name recently given to his daughter by Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal. English equivalent Liberty has been in use for girls for some time. Libertad might be considered a Spanish virtue name or word name. See our list of other Spanish word names.

An offbeat way to celebrate this virtue.

A rare Albanian name with an appealing meaning, akin to Liberty and Saoirse. It is derived from the Albanian word, liri.

An uncommon Hebrew name that can still sometimes be heard in Jewish communities.

An Asian favorite.

This name from the Igbo language of Africa, which feels like the more-familiar Arabic Ahmad, might be an original and attractive choice.

Frank is cool again. Frankie is cute. But frankly, Frankito is a couple of diminutives too many.

Erkin is an Uzbek vocabulary word from Old Turkic, and is widely used as a unisex name in Turkey. In English-speaking countries, it is unknown but straightforward and with a great meaning.

French variation of Lysander.

Carleton has a great meaning behind it, and should really have more popularity than it has found to date. You can shorten it to Carl or keep it upscale and formal in the longer form. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk lends the name some sporty credentials, while American artist Carleton Wiggins confirms this name's Victorian earnestness.

This authentic form of the name of an Irish mythological hero with the power to make women fall instantly in love with him would work far better here as the Anglicized Dermot.

Erkin is an Uzbek vocabulary word from Old Turkic, and is widely used as a unisex name in Turkey. In English-speaking countries, it is unknown but straightforward and with a great meaning.

Properly spelled Özgür, this is a familiar unisex name and surname in Turkey, though little-known in the rest of the world. The pronunciation is not far removed from Oscar, which could be a helpful reference point or cause confusion.

In Roman mythology, Libera was the female equivalent of the god Liber. She would eventually become assimilated into the goddess Prosperina.