Names That Mean Brave, Strong, or Powerful

Pacome is a French saint's name rarely heard in this country, but currently being revived in its native France.

Some variants are Pacomi, Pacomio and Pacomius.

An ancient saint's name belonging to an 8th century English missionary. Variants include Walpurga and Walpurgis.

Clunky Gertrude is heading towards obscurity in the US, but here's a variation that might intrigue - Gesine, also spelled Gesina.

One of the less attractive Hebrew choices.

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

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.

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

Tetsu is a female name with an unusually strong and powerful meaning. It sounds spunky and cute too.

Israeli-born singer Keren Ann introduced this traditional Hebrew name to the US, where it could well be mistaken for Karen. Nevertheless, 100 girls were given the name in a recent year.

Isley is used more often for girls, thanks to the similar name Isla, but actor Glenn Howerton chose it for his son, born in 2014. The musical connection via the Isley Brothers puts it in the same category as more common unisex musician names such as Lennon, Hendrix, and Bowie.

Long considered Mr. Hall's exclusive property, it's now ready to be adopted by others.

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 40 days. This would certainly make a unique choice.

Old World Jewish name that could travel to the New.

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

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.

Aza's similarity to the biblical name Asa makes it ripe for adaptation. If you want something more elaborate, you might consider Azariah. Something simpler? It doesn't get much simpler and that is the beauty of Aza (or Asa).

Used in Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, this strong-sounding name belonged to a hero in Persian legend. Its derivation is unclear, but the consensus seems to be that it relates to the hero’s great size and strength, possibly from Avestan raodha "to grow" and takhma "strong, brave, valiant".

Appealing sound and meaning, but there is that discount-store association.

Energetic nickname name.

Last name occasionally used as a first, can be seen as a Lance Armstrong athlete-hero name.