Names That Mean Strength

This strong yet graceful feminine form of Gabriel is a modern favorite. The double L spelling is given to more than three times as many girls as the Gabriela version.

This Scandinavian name was made famous in English-speaking countries as the name of the dog in the "Thin Man" series. Danish actress Asta Nielsen was another famous bearer. Asta can be considered as a short form of Astrid or Augusta.

Othniel is mentioned in the Bible and Tanakh (in the Book of Judges) where he is the first of the biblical judges mentioned. Othniel was related to Caleb, which might make these two names a nice biblically themed sib-set.

If you feel, as many parents do, that Gabby or Gabi is too harsh a short form for the mellifluous name Gabriella, try Brie, Brielle, or Briella.

A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The most common modern American pronunciation is "thor-OH", with emphasis on the final syllable, although Thoreau himself pronounced it "THOR-oh".

Ebba, the feminine version of Eberhard and also a form of an old English name, is in the Swedish Top 10 but virtually unknown in the US. However, with the rise of Emma, Ella, Ada, and similar simple-yet-traditional names, Ebba may enjoy more widespread popularity.

Despite its biblical pedigree and popularity in Israel, it has far too many ties to the lethal submachine gun to find many fans here.

Brigitte is the French version of the ancient Irish Brighid long associated with 1950s sex symbol Brigitte Bardot. If you want to pronounce Brigitte the French way, it's brih-ZHEET.

Swap two letters of Birdie and you get Bridie, a traditional diminutive of Bridget. Bridie fits perfectly with the trend for standalone vintage nicknames like Betty and Sadie, but is surprisingly rare.

An Israeli place-name as well as being the Hebrew form of Gabriel.

Asta as a boy's name is inspired by the Wizard King character in the anime series Black Clover. He is a human who triumphs in a world of superheroes --an inspirational figure.

A rare name with elegant simplicity, Zura has several multicultural origins. It can be a Chechen adaptation of the Persian word for strength, or the Chechen version of Zahra. It is also known in Greece; and could be short for the color name Azura. Zura reappeared in the US charts in 2020 after a gap of over 100 years.

Innocent, sincere, and bright-eyed, and as outdated as its mother name, Gertrude.

This name, with its great meaning, has seen a notable rise for boys since the mid-2010s. It debuted on the US charts for girls in 2021.

As a masculine name, Gauri is Finnish in origin and derives from Gabriel.

A sweet and lively name with two distinct derivations. It can be a short form of Sylvia or a variant spelling of its French form Sylvie, meaning "of the forest". Or, it can be a Norwegian and Swedish variant of Solveig, meaning "sun strength".

If you want a pan-Scandinavian name with energy and style that could have been a winner, if not for the sound-alike water filtration company Brita.

Commonly heard in its native country, and might get a boost here too, now that Alanis Morrissette has used it for her son Ever's middle name.

This male relative of the Emily family was borne by two Greek saints, one a fourth century martyr who destroyed pagan images and the other a ninth century bishop. Variations include Emilios and Aemilios. The Latin Aemilius, from the ancient family name, may be unrelated.

Audrina is a name that owes its fame to overnight reality TV sensation Audrina Partridge, one of the original cast of the MTV reality series The Hills.