Names That Mean Ruler

With names like Henry, Henrik, and Enzo rising up the charts, it's about time parents discover Henzo. It's a short form of Henrique traditionally used in Galicia, Spain, but some may be familiar with Henzo via the anime One Piece.

Anglicized form of Heinrich

An obscure Gothic name derived from Amali — a dynasty of the Goths — and the Germanic element ric, meaning "ruler".

This name of a saint from Galway whose monastery became a center of learning, is an undiscovered Gaelic gem.

The biblical Seraiah may have been male, but all the modern babies named Serayah or Seraiah are female, some inspired by actress Serayah McNeill of Empire.

Etheridge is a surname derived from the English name Edric. As a first name, it's most commonly associated with American poet and civil rights activist Etheridge Knight.

Theodoric feels prehistoric, though with short form Theo one of the hottest names around, this old German names for boys may soon feel new again.

Contracted form of Leofric, which would make an intriguing addition to the modern lexicon of Leo names.

Frederique, the soigne name of Dutch-born model Frederique Van der Wal, is a lot more sophisticated than the dated MONIQUE. Still, as feminine forms of the Fred names go, we prefer the Italian Federica or the distant Spanish cousin Fernanda.

Welsh form of Richard.

Historically, this name derives from Aldric, the name of an early medieval saint. Today, parents are more likely to see it as a blend of elements from Aidan and Patrick, Frederick, etc.

Federica is the Latin version of Frederica, one of those formerly stuffy female names -- think Josephine and Eleanor -- that feels fresh and elegant again. And Federica has more energy without that first r.

Despite its long history as a male name, Henry is a name that could be adopted for a baby girl — the French spelling makes it a bit more feminine.

The American child given this name of four kings of Denmark, not to mention one so similar to that of the Harry Potter archvillain Lord Voldemort, might have to pay a large emotional import tax.

Rare form of Romaric

A relatively popular Arabic and Sanskrit name, which has a great positive meaning no matter which origin you claim.

Volodymyr, once a name unknown to most Americans, is now on everyone's lips due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy bears a common Ukrainian name for his generation. Currently in Ukraine, the most popular baby names for boys are Maksym (Максим), Ivan (Іван), and Matviy (Матвій). The more fashionable Vlad- name for babies is Vladyslav, although President Zelenskyy may soon be a namesake for an influx of infants named in honor of his heroism.

Like Mitzi, the bubbly Fritzi shows signs of rising again. Has a bit of a comic-strip feel.

With its dramatic nature meaning (blaidd "wolf" + rhi "ruler"), Bledri looks and sounds pretty distinctive. It's rare even in Wales. But the WYSIWYG spelling makes it perfectly viable.