Names That Mean Brave, Strong, or Powerful

Variously spelled Swithun or Swithin, and associated with St. Swithin's day, July 15th, which is famous as a weather predictor a la Groundhog's Day: supposedly, the weather on his feast day will continue for forty days. This would certainly make a unique choice.

Harv and Marv are out, and this difficult Dutch choice doesn't fare any better.

Sometimes heard in the Latino community, has not crossed over into others.

Ermentrude was the name of two medieval queens of France. Despite these distinguished beginnings, this antique name is unlikely to catch on with contemporary parents, perhaps because the first syllable may sound unattractive to the modern ear and the last two syllables are the equivalent of intrude. Then there's that rude final syllable. English variant Ermintrude is equally unlikely to find favor.

This obscure Zulu name was chosen by Stevie Wonder.

This strong (literally) African name comes from the Chewa language of southern Africa.

A viable choice that may be growing on your family tree. Hartman Turnbow was a part of Mississippi's "First Fourteen", the first group of African Americans who attempted to register to vote in the state.

A distinctive English surname name that also carries the slightly ominous sense of the verb batten, as in "batten down the hatches." Batten was also a medieval first name related to Bartholomew.

Decebal was the name of an ancient ruler of Dacia who resisted but was eventually conquered by the Roman military leader Traianus. Both Decebal and Traian are names used in modern Romania.

This name was used by the royal House of Luxembourg in the Middle Ages, as a diminutive of Irmentrude. We definitely think this spunky shortening improves upon the heavy German original.

One of the names of Allah, this name is also associated with basketball great Kareem Abdul Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.).

Geraud, as with many French variations of familiar names, makes the somewhat old-fashioned Gerard sound fresh and dashing. It's pronounced as if it ended with o, another trendy factor, though many English speakers may not get that.

Gabrina is a name sometimes heard in the Latino community, could make a distinctive alternative to Gabriela.

Fairly rare Spanish name, found as a character in one of the Oz books. One of those

A Turkish word name on the rise in its native country.

Bheem, the name of the second of the five sons of Pandu in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, was renowned as a strong warrior. Bheem is the name of one of the two heroes of the Bollywood film RRR.

Dhriti is a Hindi name used especially in Nepal for both girls and boys. English speakers have trouble with three consonants (or three vowels, for that matter) in a row, so this may prove challenging.

A common Turkish word name for boys signaling valiance and bravery.