Endearingly Untamed

They may be a little... wild. We love their fierceness! We may also be a little afraid of them but in a good way. Some of these names might have dangerous meanings, some may have dangerous associations, some may simply sound similar to wild words. Either way, these names all have an uncontrolled strength to them.
  1. Achlys
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "dark mists"
    • Description:

      The personified spirit of death mists, the clouding of the eyes preceding death —Achlys also may have been a goddess of deadly poisons.
  2. Alenka
    • Origin:

      Slovene diminutive of Alena
    • Meaning:

      "bright and shining light"
    • Description:

      Nickname for Alena, a Helen variation that can be heard in Eastern Europe.
  3. Apollo
    • Origin:

      Greek mythology name
    • Meaning:

      "destroyer"
    • Description:

      With mythological names rising, the handsome son of Zeus and god of medicine, music, and poetry among many other things might offer an interesting, if high-pressure, option.
  4. Ares
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "ruin, bane"
    • Description:

      Rooted in Greek mythology, Ares entered the US Top 1000 in 2013, when it was one of the year's fastest rising names. Similar in style to Atticus, Atlas, and Ari, it has continued to climb up the charts, and now ranks in the Top 500, given to around 770 babies each year .
  5. Astrid
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "divinely beautiful"
    • Description:

      Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful."
  6. Atreus
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "fearless"
    • Description:

      This unusual name from Greek mythology is gaining traction along with others in its class, such as Atlas, Artemis, and Apollo. The King of Mycenae (to where he'd been banished, after murdering his half-brother) , Atreus was also the father of King Agamemnon, an important commander in the Trojan War.
  7. Alecto
    • Alfric
      • Bandit
        • Origin:

          Word or occupational name
        • Description:

          We hesitate to call Bandit an occupational name, any more than Rogue or Vandal are occupational names, yet its use by one of the bandmembers of My Chemical Romance (for his daughter: we're not even going to go there) undoubtedly owes a debt to occupational cousins from Pilot to Parker. Recommended for use by rock stars with full-time nannies only.
      • Belladonna
        • Origin:

          English from Italian
        • Meaning:

          "nightshade, beautiful lady"
        • Description:

          Literally meaning "beautiful lady" in Italian, Belladonna is the name of a poisonous flower also known as nightshade. This connection gives an otherwise flowery name a darker, more dramatic edge.
      • Bellona
        • Origin:

          Latin
        • Meaning:

          "fighter"
        • Description:

          A beautiful name with a combative meaning (from the Latin bellare "to fight"), belonging to a Roman goddess of war. Bellona has never appeared on the SSA list, but it could be an intriguing option for fans of the popular Belle/Bella.
      • Blaze
        • Origin:

          English word name
        • Meaning:

          "fire"
        • Description:

          Originally a form of the saint's name Blaise, though now more likely to be a hot word name used for both sexes, though heavily weighted toward the boys. It has been in the boys' Top 1000 since the year 2000. On the pop culture side of things, Blaze Bayley is a singer and musician who has been connected to the bands Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden.
      • Blodwen
        • Origin:

          Welsh
        • Meaning:

          "white flower"
        • Description:

          An unusual floral -wen name which was the name of an 1878 opera by Welsh composer Joseph Parry.
      • Briar
        • Origin:

          English
        • Meaning:

          "a thorny patch"
        • Description:

          Fairy-tale memories of Sleeping Beauty inspire some parents—such as Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen—to call their daughters Briar Rose. But Briar plus a different middle name might work even better. It's one of the newly popular nature-word names, charting in the US for the first time in 2015 for both genders.
      • Brona
        • Origin:

          Irish
        • Meaning:

          "sorrow"
        • Description:

          Brona is an Anglicized form of Bronach or Bronagh, the name of a sixth century mystic and follower of Saint Patrick. The name is attracting some modern notice in the US via the character Brona Croft in TV's Penny Dreadful.
      • Bhumi
        • Cain
          • Origin:

            Hebrew
          • Meaning:

            "spear; possessed"
          • Description:

            Biblical name Cain was, until recently, seldom heard outside of the Old Testament and soap operas. Although Cain's murderous actions will always make this name difficult for some, Cain, Eve and Adam's firstborn, was a farmer - making this a good choice for those with farming connections. Long outshone by Abel, Cain is starting to find a broader audience, helped along by homophones Kane or Caine.
        • Calixta
          • Origin:

            Greek
          • Meaning:

            "most beautiful"
          • Description:

            Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate Chopin's The Storm.
        • Carmilla
          • Casimir
            • Origin:

              English; French, from Polish
            • Meaning:

              "destroyer of peace"
            • Description:

              Casimir, a traditional name of Polish kings, could do quite well these days as we see the rise of Caspian, Cassius, Castiel, et. al. Like Leopold and Laszlo, Casimir is strong and worth considering if you've got an adventurous streak — and bet your son will too.