Dog Names That Mean Brave

Possibly meaning "bold", this West African surname is less commonly found as a first name, too.

Used in Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, this strong-sounding name belonged to a hero in Persian legend. Its derivation is unclear, but the consensus seems to be that it relates to the hero’s great size and strength, possibly from Avestan raodha "to grow" and takhma "strong, brave, valiant".

While still very rare, the name Valiant was given to six baby boys in the US last year. And it's an inspiring choice.

Another traditional Indian name, best known here via novelist Vikram Seth.

Memorable as the Waspy Robert Redford character who captivated the young Barbra Streisand in the film classic "The Way We Were": Hubbell Gardiner.

Baby-naming rule #984: forget any name that contains the syllable wig.

Nanna is a name from Norse mythology that is among the Top 30 names in contemporary Denmark. Popular in Norway in the 19th century, Nanna may also be considered a short form of a range of names, from Anna to Johanna to Marianne. As widespread as it is in Scandinavia, though, it's hard to imagine Nanna making a mark as a girl's name in modern day America, given its use as a name for grandmothers.

This variation of Rostam might be more English-friendly given its resemblance to the familiar Russ or Russell.

Just a few years ago, Dustin, Dylan, and Daryl seemed like radical, edgy names for girls; now even Great-aunt Alberta wouldn't raise an eyebrow.

Though you might have been a fan of tennis star Chris Evert, stick with EVERETT, which everyone will think you're saying anyway.

A modern virtue name with ancient charm, Valor works well as it doesn't come up in everyday conversation all that often. Predominantly used for boys, Valor has been given to a slowly growing number of girls in the last decade, with 18 receiving the name in 2023.

Old-school nicknames for boys are back, and Lenn is a great candidate for revival. Single-N Len may not be as cool as this Dutch version, originally a nickname for Lennart.

Welsh form of Richard.

A new, rising word name for boys that has the advantage of sharing sounds with more common names like Bryson and Braydon. And the disadvantage of getting confused with them.

Nerio was one of the Roman goddesses of war and a wife of Mars. Her name is among the many intriguing names that mean strong.

This is one of the least known or used of the Theo names, quite possibly because of its last syllable. In Samuel Butler's 1903 novel The Way of All Flesh, there is a clergyman character named Theobald Pontifex.

This charming Japanese name, with two meanings every little boy would love to have, was briefly in the Canadian Top 100 in the early 20th Century. There are many famous bearers of the name, such as architect Isamu Noguchi and physicist Isamu Akasaki.

An auspicious name for a first-born son with Japanese heritage. Some may be familiar with the name Yuichi from the anime series Kanon.

Tib was a unisex nickname in the 13th century, used as a short form of Theobald and Isabel. As Theobald waned in popularity, it became far more associated with girls, so much so that Tib was a term for young girls by the 16th century.

Valiant is an inspirational word name that can work for a child of any gender, though the six babies given this name last year were all boys.