Dog Names That Mean Strong, Brave, or Powerful

Strange as it may now seem, the venerable St. Arnold was a Greek by birth, a musician who became a member of the court of Charlemagne. The name is said to have been introduced into Britain by the Normans in the form Arnaud.

A dashing, dramatic and romantic Italian surname, associated with early movie heartthrob Rudolph, and later with Italian fashion designer Valentino (Garavani). Also the name of an early Roman saint, whose feast day marks the beginning of spring. Ricky Martin chose it for one of his twin boys.

A dashing, dramatic and romantic Italian surname, associated with early movie heartthrob Rudolph, and later with Italian fashion designer Valentino (Garavani). Also the name of an early Roman saint, whose feast day marks the beginning of spring. Ricky Martin chose it for one of his twin boys.

This lovely orange-scented Spanish place-name would make an inventive namesake for an Aunt Valerie.

Boyish nicknames for girls are all the rage — just look at the success of Charlie, Frankie, Stevie, Billie, and Scottie in recent years. Andie has history as a nickname for Andrea, popularized by actress Andie Macdowell. This name has major cool girl appeal through Kate Hudson's portrayal of Andie Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Molly Ringwald's of Andie Walsh in Pretty in Pink.

Appealing sound and meaning, but there is that discount-store association.

Common in Scandinavia, this name has rarely come to our shores. The name of the heroine in Ibsen's Peer Gynt, Solveig is currently a widely-used name in Norway. Pronounced authentically, with a silent 'g', it becomes much more appealing.

A name used in the Caribbean, taken from the Rastafarian term that translates best to "positive and powerful." Rastas often greet each other by saying, "Are you feeling Irie today?"

Old time nickname that's starting to sound fresh again, à la Alfie and Freddie.

A name used in the Caribbean, taken from the Rastafarian term that translates best to "positive and powerful." Rastas often greet each other by saying, "Are you feeling Irie today?"

Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T., revive the long shunned Gertrude?

Monte, pronounced with two syllables as brother Monty, is an old-fashioned nickname-name that's reclaiming a certain amount of dash and charm. It was recently chosen by actor Guy Pearce--which may signal a comeback.

Drawn from old record books, Kiah is an antiquated nickname that feels perfectly appropriate for modern times -- maybe more so than father name Hezekiah.

Andre is one of the international forms of Andrew that has been familiar in the English-speaking world for decades without any need to be overly Anglicized - though round the world, it is more likely to be written as André.

A classic Welsh name, softer than Griffin and friendlier to spell than Gruffudd - that hasn't had as much love as it deserves elsewhere. Namesakes range from medieval kings to the philanthropist Griffith J. Griffith, who left land to the city of Los Angeles. It's great in full, but Griff is cool too.

When scientists do research on the effects of an unpopular name, we're afraid that Mildred is one of the examples they cite, often in tandem with Bertha and Gertrude. But with cute nickname Millie on the rise, anything's possible.

Ozzy has been on the rise in recent years and currently sits in the Top 1000 in the UK and the US. The Ozzie spelling has yet to catch up, but has nevertheless gained more attention thanks to its popular counterpart. Given to 135 boys and to 50 girls in 2023, for every one Ozzie there are three Ozzys.

This old Cornish name took on a whole new identity via Denzel Washington, who has inspired several thousand namesakes. The actor was named after his father, who was named for a Dr. Denzel, who delivered him.

Spelled this way, Briana was coined by Edmund Spenser for his great literary work, The Faerie Queene, which gives the now-overexposed name a far classier pedigree than it's usually credited with.

This name of an influential Old Testament king of Judah is one that would challenge even the most adventurous biblical name-seeker, but it does have the modernizing short forms Zeke or Kiah.