Names That Mean Army

  1. Walter
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "army ruler"
    • Description:

      Walter was seen as a noble name in the Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Walter Scott era, but it then spent decades in baby name limbo. Now quite a few independent-minded parents are looking at it as a renewable, slightly quirky, classic, stronger and more distinctive than James or John, second only to William among the handsome classic boy baby names starting with W.
  2. Harlow
    • Origin:

      English surname
    • Meaning:

      "rock hill or army hill"
    • Description:

      Jean Harlow (born Harlean Carpenter), the original platinum blonde bombshell, was a symbol of 1930s glamour, a factor that first Patricia Arquette and then Nicole Richie and Joel Madden probably had in mind when they gave their daughters the distinctive surname name Harlow.
  3. Ragnar
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "warrior or judgment"
    • Description:

      An fearsome old Norse name with a long history in Scandinavia. It's gotten a boost in the States from popularity of the History Channel drama "Vikings," in which the protagonist is named Ragnar. Ragnar Lodbrok (meaning "shaggy pants") was a legendary warrior whose story was told in the Viking sagas. Ragnar also recalls name of the Norse Judgment Day, Ragnarök.
  4. Harlow
    • Origin:

      English surname
    • Meaning:

      "rock hill or army hill"
    • Description:

      A glamorous surname name most famously borne by 1930s icon Jean Harlow (born Harlean Carpenter), Harlow is also the name of a town in the English county of Essex. Outside of the UK, Harlow would fit right in with contemporaries Arlo and Marlow(e).
  5. Harold
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "army ruler"
    • Description:

      The name of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England before the Norman conquest, and a name that's long been associated with a pipe-smoking, bespectacled grandpa or uncle.
  6. Luther
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "army people"
    • Description:

      Once restricted to evangelical Protestants honoring the ecclesiastical reformer and theologian Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant revolution. In more recent times it has been favored by parents wishing to honor civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. Luther was a Top 100 name at the turn of the last century, but fell off the list in the early 1990s.
      Luther Burbank was an eminent botanist and Luther Vandross was a popular R&B artist. It's the name of a main character on the Disney series Zeke and Luther. The name was given a shot of contemporary energy via Idris Elba's dynamic performance in the eponymous BBC crime drama.
  7. Rainier
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "wise army"
    • Description:

      European royal name, and to Americans a place-name evoking the majestic mountain in Washington state.
  8. Herbert
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "bright army"
    • Description:

      Names ending in bert have long been in limbo, but with the return of Albert, maybe there's hope for Herbert. who could share the Bertie nickname. Herbert is a name that's been used by English speakers since medieval times, and was in the Top 25 in the US in the late 1920s, around the time of the presidency of Herbert Hoover, but there's been no sight of Herbert in the 21st century. Some Herberts, including novelists H. G. Wells and H. E. Bates, have preferred to go by their initials.
  9. Rainer
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "wise army"
    • Description:

      Rainer is one of those baby names that is still under-the-radar but has been quietly gaining traction: The number of boys who've received the name has doubled in the past decade, to just under 50. Part nature name and part traditional German name for boys, Rainer can claim a place among the two-syllable r-ending baby names so fashionable for boys today.
  10. Alvar
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "elf warrior"
    • Description:

      This name woould be hard to picture in a contemporary kindergarten, though it does have some cultural cred via Finnish architect and furniture designer Alvar Aalto. Aalto would actually make a more interesting choice.
  11. Warner
    • Origin:

      English from German
    • Meaning:

      "army"
    • Description:

      Long-time connection to the movie biz doesn't lend it any pizzazz.
  12. Lothar
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "famous army"
    • Description:

      Lothar is cloddish, till you add a dashing io to the end...
  13. Raynor
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "mighty army"
    • Description:

      Original and straightforward, but with little appeal.
  14. Wout
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Wouter, Dutch from Old German
    • Meaning:

      "army ruler"
    • Description:

      The Dutch equivalent of Walt makes the Top 100 in Belgium, where Flemish parents love short, sweet names.
  15. Hereswith
    • Origin:

      Old English
    • Meaning:

      "Strength of the army"
    • Description:

      Hereswith is a rare name that comes to us from the dark ages. She was a Northumbrian saint, whose more famous sister, Hilda, was the Abbess at Whitby and patron of the first English poet, Caedmon. The name has a soft, lispy sound that is more wearable than its spelling would suggest.
  16. Armantine
    • Origin:

      Variation of Armina
    • Meaning:

      "army man"
    • Description:

      This Frenchified variation softens and prettifies the harsh original.
  17. Anzac
    • Origin:

      word name, from the "Australian and New Zealander Army Corps"
    • Meaning:

      "Australian and New Zealander Army Corps"
    • Description:

      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).
  18. Harvard
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "army guard"
    • Description:

      With Yale and Brown in the mainstream, why not this upscale college name and surname as well.
  19. Rosar
    • Origin:

      Icelandic
    • Meaning:

      "rose army"
    • Description:

      An Icelandic combo name which would be a nice nod to an ancestral Rose.
  20. Harto
    • Origin:

      Finnish diminutive of Harald, Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "army ruler"
    • Description:

      A cool and wearable option for honoring an ancestral Harold.