170+ Names That Mean Warrior

A lengthy Olde World route to Nick.

This name, more often spelled Ottoline, is curiously appealing, in a hoop-skirted, wasp-waisted way; heard more often in novels than real life, though that is showing some signs of change.

Formal name lacking any sparkle or sheen.

Caedmon is considered the first English poet -- a nice literary tie-in to the streamlined version.

St Cadoc was an early Welsh churchman, who gave his name to several villages in Wales, and according to his Life knew King Arthur. Less popular than other C__C names like Cormac and Cedric, Cadoc would be an almost unique, but easy-to-pronouce choice.

To most Australians and New Zealanders, using the name Anzac might feel sacrilegious now, as the ANZAC story has become interwoven with national identity. But Anzac was used as a name for both boys and girls on both sides of the Tasman Sea in the aftermath of the First World War. It was often used in combination with other names associated with battles or military leaders - for example Dardanella Anzac and Verdun Anzac (both girls) and Winston Anzac and Anzac Kitchener (boys).

Old and aristocratic European name that would be tough for an American kid to pull off.

A German surname name deriving from the same root as English Ryder. Traditionally, it was the name of the second lowest hereditary rank of the nobility, roughly equivalent to English Baronet. Notable associations are British actor Paul Ritter and a popular European chocolate brand.

Patton is an attractive name in the fashionable Haden-Peyton mold, though there is that association with the severe wartime general.

Obscure form of an old-fashioned favorite that's poised to make a comeback. This version, which owes as much to Alison as to Louisa, has a stylish A beginning and a multi-syllabic feminine grace.

Kamau is from the Kikuyu language native to Kenya. It is recognizable as the middle name of comedian W. Kamau Bell.

This Spanish and Italian name ultimately comes from the Germanic Chlodwig, via the Latin Clodovæus or Chlodoveus and the French-Germanic Hlodwig. It could make an interesting full name for a Cole, Dove, Dev or Davy.

A name with two strong literary associations, one overwhelmingly negative -- Lolita's pedophilic narrator Humbert Humbert -- and one positive, in the preferable European version: Italian author Umberto Eco.

Old-fashioned, conjuring up an ardent suitor in a bow tie and straw boater.

The M and the R add welcome strength.

This genial Irish surname feels much more current than Donald.

In literature identified with The Sorrows of Young Werther -- not much to wish on a child.

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

An adolescent boy might have problems with the first syllable.

Original and straightforward, but with little appeal.