Dog Names That Mean Brave

Common surname rarely used as a first.

Back in the day, Con was a nickname for Cornelius and Conrad. Today it feels like a pet form of Connor.

Place-name of a settlement in Galilee in Israel.

For fans of Warren G. All two of them.

If Brave isn't enough for you, you might try Braver, which has an even stronger meaning. Braver's -er ending gives it surname style.

Love the popular Noah but want to make it more distinctive? You can vary it to Noam, and going all the way to Noaz takes it from distinctive to unique.

We can hear the kids teasing him from here.

The name of a monk who is the patron saint of blacksmiths -- not a twentieth-century occupation or baby name.

Despite its virtuous meaning, Fergall - along with the more standard spellings Fergal, Ferghal and Fearghal - has never made it across the ocean. In the States, Fergall is a rare yet pronounceable name with strong ties to Ireland. In its native land, it's been worn for over a thousand years by everyone from chieftains to poets to sportsmen, and still appears steadily in birth records.

Chirpy form of Leonard that's common in its native Slovenia.

Reilly and Riley are hugely popular, but O'Reilly is still an up-and-comer.

Used in Italy and Spain, but in non-Latin countries could be confused with Valencia.

Farrell is usually considered a boy's name, though the soft sound of this Irish surname makes it perfectly appropriate for a girl, reminiscent of Farrah.

This one's cutting right to the chase, but with such names as Justice and Peace on the rise, why not? And we guarantee your seven-year-old son will love it, though your 17-year-old, maybe not so much. Could be used as a middle name, as Talisa Soto and Benjamin Bratt did.

Nenna is the name of the heroine of Penelope Fitzgerald's novel Offshore, but it's also sparingly used in Scandinavia as a variant of the name Nanna. Nanna is a diminutive of various names, including Anna, Johanna and Marianne, but it's also a name in its own right, possibly meaning "daring".

Conceivable middle name choice for admirers of flyer Amelia.

A striking word name for either gender. It's a safer choice when used as a middle name.

Decebal was the name of an ancient ruler of Dacia who resisted but was eventually conquered by the Roman military leader Traianus. Both Decebal and Traian are names used in modern Romania.

Scottish Gaelic form of Richard, also found as Risteard.

Virtually unknown in this country, has an interesting, rhythmic feel.