170+ Names That Mean Warrior

  1. Myla
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Mila or feminine variation of Milo
    • Meaning:

      "soldier or merciful"
    • Description:

      Myla can be seen as a female variation of Milo or a different spelling for popular Mila. Though frequently unnecessary in alternate spellings, the "y" here does connote a specific pronunciation.
  2. Sacha
    • Origin:

      French variation of Sasha
    • Meaning:

      "defending warrior"
    • Description:

      Sasha in all its forms -- which include Sacha and Sascha -- is rising in popularity for both boys and girls. Its most prominent current bearer is Sacha Baron Cohen.
  3. Gunner
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian variation of Gunther
    • Meaning:

      "bold warrior"
    • Description:

      The kind of nouveau macho name favored by NRA-leaning parents. Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers gave it to his son in 2009. Gunnar is another spelling that makes the name a bit less militaristic.
  4. Kelly
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "war"
    • Description:

      Once the quintessential bouncy teenager name, Kelly helped launch the trend of unisex Irish names . But it now takes a backseat to more substantial surname names like Kennedy.
  5. Kelly
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "war"
    • Description:

      A predominantly male name in the US until the late 1950s, the name continued to rise for both sexes for both sexes for a further decade, before starting to decline for boys. Despite dropping out of the boys' Top 1000 in 2002, Kelly retains a rugged Irish charm.
  6. Lou
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Louis or Lewis, French and German
    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"
    • Description:

      Lou, all by itself, is become fashionable for girls, which usually makes a name LESS fashionable for boys. But Lou, like Bill or Jim, is rarely used on its own for boys anyway. (You wouldn't name a boy Frederick Lou the way that girls are named Mary Lou or, in the case of Keri Russell's new baby, Willa Lou.) Long form Louis is getting cool again and, with the Lewis spelling, is the Number 2 name in Scotland.
  7. Bellatrix
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "female warrior"
    • Description:

      J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming who brought a whole constellation of ancient and celestial names to modern parents. Bellatrix, of one of the stars of Orion, combines fashionable names Bella and Beatrix to make a convivial and original name. The down side: the Harry Potter character Bellatrix, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is a character so evil she's called a Death Eater, killing one beloved character and being murdered by another. And the name Bellatrix is so closely associated with that character that it might be challenging to sidestep the association.
  8. Luther
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "army people"
    • Description:

      Once restricted to evangelical Protestants honoring the ecclesiastical reformer and theologian Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant revolution. In more recent times it has been favored by parents wishing to honor civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. Luther was a Top 100 name at the turn of the last century, but fell off the list in the early 1990s.
      Luther Burbank was an eminent botanist and Luther Vandross was a popular R&B artist. It's the name of a main character on the Disney series Zeke and Luther. The name was given a shot of contemporary energy via Idris Elba's dynamic performance in the eponymous BBC crime drama.
  9. Aryan
    • Origin:

      Indo-Iranian
    • Meaning:

      "warrior, honorable"
    • Description:

      Aryan derives from the Sanskrit word ārya, meaning "honorable" or "high-born." As a term, Aryan was used to describe Indo-Europeans—particularly Iranians—who shared common religious, cultural, and linguistic history. It was later misapplied by the Nazis to refer solely to Germanic and Nordic Caucasians, ultimately corrupting the term.
  10. Malin
    • Origin:

      English or Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "strong, little warrior or crowned"
    • Description:

      Malin is multicultural name with many possible sources,. As a female name, Malin is popular throughout Scandinavia, a form of Magdalene. The male version has several theoretical roots. One of them is the multicultural surname Malin, which may be a matronymic descending from Magdalene or Mary or may be derived from an Irish surname meaning pleasant. In India, Malin is a male Sanskrit name meaning crowned or alternately, flower or gardener. Some may see it as a simplified spelling of the Biblical Mahlon. At once simple and unusual, the name Malin was given to 17 baby girls in the US last year but fewer than five baby boys.
  11. Rainier
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "wise army"
    • Description:

      European royal name, and to Americans a place-name evoking the majestic mountain in Washington state.
  12. Marcello
    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "young warrior"
    • Description:

      Based on the ancient name Marcellus, drawn from Mars the god of war, Marcello -- it's pronounced mar-chell-o -- is one of the most lush and attractive Latin names.
  13. Hilda
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "battle woman"
    • Description:

      Short for Brunhilda, the operatic Valkyrie of Teutonic legend, Hilda still has not quite shaken off that image that image. Though with the resurgence of Matilda, she might just have a bit of a comeback.
  14. Clancy
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "red-haired warrior"
    • Description:

      Clancy, one of the original crossover Irish surname names, is as energetic and appealing as ever — full of moxie, more distinctive than Casey, and also one of the less obvious of the red-headed names.
  15. Gunnar
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian variation of Gunther
    • Meaning:

      "bold warrior"
    • Description:

      A key figure in Norse legend and a traditional Scandinavian favorite making inroads here.
  16. Luis
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Louis
    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"
    • Description:

      Luis has long been one of the most popular Hispanic names in America — it was in the Top 100 every year from 1980 to 2014, though it's dropped a bit in popularity. It's familiar, yet would add a worldly touch to a basic surname.
  17. Alvaro
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "elf warrior"
    • Description:

      Traditionally written with an accent (Álvaro), this is a well-used Spanish saint's name with a lot of flair that could definitely cross over to more general usage. It reached its peak in the United States in 1985, when it ranked Number 456. In Spain, Álvaro is a Top 20 boys' name.
  18. Marcellus
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "young warrior"
    • Description:

      This ancient Roman family name, first borne by the distinguished Marcus Claudius Marcellus and later by two popes, is a possibilty in the hot new category of names from antiquity.
  19. Marcia
    • Origin:

      Latin, feminine version of Marcius
    • Meaning:

      "warlike"
    • Description:

      Marcia is an ancient Roman name which derives from Mars, the god of war. It was used by Dante in the Inferno and later by Thomas Hardy and others.
  20. Boris
    • Origin:

      Slavic
    • Meaning:

      "to fight"
    • Description:

      Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential.