Names That Mean Ruler

Variant of Heinrich

This name of a saint from Galway whose monastery became a center of learning is an undiscovered Irish Gaelic gem. Undiscovered in the US, that is: Iarlaith is a Top 100 name in Ireland.

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

Everyone has heard of Genghis Khan, 12th century warrior and founder of the Mongol empire. The name was brought into the modern world by soccer star Hope Solo and football player Jerramy Stevens, who chose it as the middle name for their son Vittorio, whose twin sister is named Lozen after a female Apache warrior.

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.

Properly written with a Turkish dotted I, this handsome Turkish name derives from two elements both with regal meanings.

One way to set up a superiority complex in your child is to call your child Czar as American actor Rockmond Dunbar did in 2016.

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.

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.

An imposing meaning, an appealing sound.

Used as an epithet for the Hindu gods Indra, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Suresha and its more common modern form Suresh are in widespread use in India and some neighboring countries.

Walter is an old school boys' name that is gently on the rise again. Short forms include Walt (as in Disney) and Wally, but Wat was once commonly used in England as a diminutive of Walter.

A new one for the ever-growing collection of royal baby names.

Zolten is a variant spelling of Zoltan, which is currently in the Top 50 in Hungary, its country of origin. We recommend you stick with the original spelling, which remains extremely rare.

This Croation take on Russian stalwart Vladimir has a softer sound that may appeal to many.

This Dutch variation of Walter is pronounced vow-ter, although Americans will likely default to wooter or wowter.

Hatty is an old school nickname for Harriet, itself an old-fashioned choice. The more usual spelling historically is Hattie, with was given to more than 750 baby girls last year in the US, three times as many as were named Harriet. Hatty, by contrast, was used for fewer than five babies -- quite a contrast!