Names That Mean Brave, Strong, or Powerful

For English speakers, Gabi is usually short for Gabrielle. Elsewhere - such as Spain, Latin America and Israel - it can also be a male nickname for Gabriel. For rock musician Gabi Hun, it's short for Gábor.

This obscure Zulu name was chosen by Stevie Wonder.

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.

Pacome is a French saint's name rarely heard in this country, but currently being revived in its native France.

Some variants are Pacomi, Pacomio and Pacomius.

Harv and Marv are out, and this difficult Dutch choice doesn't fare any better.

Fairly rare Spanish name, found as a character in one of the Oz books. One of those

A common Turkish word name for boys signaling valiance and bravery.

This name was used by the royal House of Luxembourg in the Middle Ages, as a diminutive of Irmentrude. We definitely think this spunky shortening improves upon the heavy German original.

A viable choice that may be growing on your family tree. Hartman Turnbow was a part of Mississippi's "First Fourteen", the first group of African Americans who attempted to register to vote in the state.

One of the names of Allah, this name is also associated with basketball great Kareem Abdul Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.).

This strong (literally) African name comes from the Chewa language of southern Africa.

A distinctive English surname name that also carries the slightly ominous sense of the verb batten, as in "batten down the hatches." Batten was also a medieval first name related to Bartholomew.

Geraud, as with many French variations of familiar names, makes the somewhat old-fashioned Gerard sound fresh and dashing. It's pronounced as if it ended with o, another trendy factor, though many English speakers may not get that.

A Turkish word name on the rise in its native country.

Bheem, the name of the second of the five sons of Pandu in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, was renowned as a strong warrior. Bheem is the name of one of the two heroes of the Bollywood film RRR.

Gabrina is a name sometimes heard in the Latino community, could make a distinctive alternative to Gabriela.

Qadir is a classic Muslim name that represents one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah. Since the initial Q is pronounced as K, this handsome name is sometimes Anglicized as Kadir.

Dhriti is a Hindi name used especially in Nepal for both girls and boys. English speakers have trouble with three consonants (or three vowels, for that matter) in a row, so this may prove challenging.