Strong baby boy names come in two kinds. Some translate literally as strong, mighty, or powerful, and others carry strength sideways, through a protector, a ruler, or a king who held the line.
The 100 names below come from Hebrew, Igbo, Old Norse, Navajo, Japanese, Swahili, and a dozen other languages, so the list runs from names you have known all your life to names your son would almost certainly own alone.
Each entry gives the meaning, the language it came from, and the one detail worth knowing before you commit, including current U.S. popularity where the name has any.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Ethan, Alexander, Gabriel, Ezekiel and Andrew.
- Ethan
- Alexander
- Gabriel
- Ezekiel
- Andrew
100 Strong Baby Boy Names and Their Meaning
We searched, researched, and cross-referenced hundreds of strong boy names from around the world and across history. These are our top 100 powerful boy names related to strength.
1. Abelardo
Abelardo carries the Germanic sense of noble and strong, and it is the Spanish version of the French name Adelard.
It has a ready-made short form in Abe, which trims four syllables down to one. The name also has real weight behind it: Abelardo Montalvo served as president of Ecuador, Abelardo Rodríguez was the 43rd president of Mexico, and Abelardo Fernández played for and later managed clubs in Spanish football.
2. Abiri
A name of Hebrew origin, Abiri means my strength, my hero.
It is barely used in the United States, so your son is unlikely to meet another Abiri at school. It also works as a unisex name, which gives you room if you later like it for a daughter.
3. Absko
Absko is listed as a boys’ name of Kenyan origin meaning power and strength.
It is said ABS-koh, two blunt syllables that close like a door. Documentation is thin outside baby-name collections, so treat the Kenyan attribution as the traditional reading rather than a settled etymology.
4. Adir
Adir is a Hebrew name meaning strong, mighty, a word the Hebrew Bible uses to describe God.
Because that force is protective rather than aggressive, it sits close to names best translated as protector or shield. Do not confuse it with Abir, a unisex Arabic name meaning scent or perfume. That is a separate name with a separate root.
5. Aimilios
Aimilios is a name of Greek origin that means strength.
It shares its roots with Emilia and Emily, so it is worth a look if you had one of those picked out and were surprised by a boy. The four syllables read formal in English, which is the appeal if you want a name that sounds older than the room.
6. Alcibiades
An ancient Greek name, Alcibiades means strength.
The historical Alcibiades was an Athenian general and statesman remembered as much for changing sides as for winning battles: he switched his allegiance to Sparta during the Peloponnesian War, then came back to Athens. It is a heavy name for a kindergartener, so families who love it usually park it in the middle-name slot.
7. Aldric
Aldric is a French name of Germanic origin meaning strong, mighty, ruler.
Aldric La’auli Porter has worked as a director and producer on films including The Hunger Games and A Beautiful Mind. You will also see the name written Aldrich, a spelling that turns up more often as a surname.
8. Alexander
Alexander means defender of man. The root is Greek, though centuries of Scottish kings have made the name feel homegrown in Scotland.
It does not translate to strength directly, but defending other people is its own kind of power. It is also the most usable name here: Alexander ranked #30 among U.S. boys’ names in 2025 after peaking at #4 in 2009, and it hands your son a shelf of nicknames including Zander, Xander, Zan, Lex, and Alex.
9. Anders
A name popular across Scandinavia, Anders means strong and manly.
It is a good fit if your family tree runs through Denmark, Sweden, or Norway. Uncommon in the United States, but nobody mispronounces it, and it never needs spelling twice.
10. Andreas
Andreas is an ancient Greek name still in steady use today. It means strong, manly.
Several Christian churches mark the Feast of the Holy Apostle Andreas on November 30th, and he is counted a patron saint of marriage and of fertility. The name gives you something formal for paperwork and Andy or Dre for the playground.
11. Andrew
Andrew is the English form, with a literal meaning of manly, strong, warrior.
It held a top-ten spot through the late 1980s and early 1990s, peaking at #5 in 1991 and 1992, and it still sat at #73 in 2025. That slow slide is good news if you want a familiar name without three of them in one class. It first caught on in the medieval period, once English Bibles turned Andreas into Andrew.
12. Angus
Angus is the anglicized form of Aonghus and Aengus, the Gaelic name meaning force, strength, energy.
An ancient Pictish king gave his name to Angus, the region on Scotland’s east coast that also gave the world Angus cattle. Television fans may recognize it as MacGyver’s first name, which is either a selling point or a warning depending on how many paper clips you keep in the house.
13. Armstrong
A name of English origin, Armstrong means strong arms.
It follows the current habit of promoting a common surname to the front of the name. Expect people to hear it as a last name first, which is exactly the effect some parents are after.
14. Arne
Arne is a short form of Arnold, meaning eagle power.
That makes it a quiet way to honor a grandfather named Arnold without handing your son the full formal version. It is already short enough that nobody will trim it further.
15. Arsenio
This is the Spanish and Italian form of the Greek name Arsenios, meaning strong, virile.
It made a short appearance in the U.S. top 1,000 between 1988 and 1990, almost certainly on the strength of talk show host Arsenio Hall. It has been quiet since, so it now reads retro rather than trendy.
16. Autry
Autry comes from the old Anglo-Saxon name Æðelþryð, meaning noble strength.
It began as a girls’ name, a form of Audrey, and its use for boys is recent. Most people will connect it to Gene Autry, the singer and actor billed as the Singing Cowboy, which gives it a western twang.
17. Ayele
Ayele is an Amharic name from Ethiopia meaning powerful.
Amharic holds a sacred place in Rastafarian tradition, and some reggae artists have recorded songs in it. For a three-syllable name, Ayele carries a lot of cultural history and almost no U.S. competition.
18. Azaiah
Azaiah is a Hebrew name meaning my strength is Yahweh.
Said ah-ZY-ah, it belongs to the family of biblical names built on the same promise as Azariah and Uzziah. It shares the -iah ending of Isaiah and Josiah, which is why it sounds current rather than invented.
19. Aziel
Aziel is a Hebrew name usually read as God is my strength, by way of Uzziel, which means my power is God from oz, strength, and el, God. Some references instead give it as God comforts.
Either reading points at support rather than swagger. It is also the highest ranked of the genuinely unusual picks here: Aziel ranked #186 among U.S. boys’ names in 2025.
20. Aziz
Aziz comes from the Arabic عزّ (‘azza), which means to be powerful.
In Islamic tradition al-Aziz is one of the 99 names of Allah. The name also travels widely, and you will meet Azizes in Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, India, and across central Asia, which makes it a strong pick for a family with roots in more than one of them.
21. Baldric
Baldric joins the Germanic elements bald, meaning bold or brave, and ric, meaning power or rule.
A baldric is also a piece of kit: the belt worn across one shoulder to carry a sword or a drum, still seen on ceremonial and military uniforms. So the name reads as brave power and also as the strap that held the weapon.
22. Barlas
A common boys’ name in Turkey, Barlas means hero, brave, chivalrous.
It is also given as powerful in Pashto, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan and widely spoken in Pakistan. The Turkish spelling needs no accents or respelling in English, so it travels without edits.
23. Barrett
Barrett is a surname name with two competing etymologies. The strength reading traces it to Germanic elements for bear, while onomastic references more often derive it from a Middle English word for quarrelsome or deceptive, first used as a nickname for an argumentative person.
Pick your favorite, because either way the sound is sturdy. It has also become genuinely popular, reaching #171 among U.S. boys’ names in 2025 after decades of steady climbing, so it is no longer the offbeat choice it was in the 2000s.
24. Benhail
Benhail is a name of Hebrew origin meaning son of strength.
In the biblical account, Benhail was one of the princes King Jehoshaphat sent out in the third year of his reign to teach across Judah. That gives the name a teaching association rather than a fighting one, and it shortens neatly to Ben.
25. Beren
The name Beren comes from Turkey and means strong, smart.
Tolkien readers know it from the story Aragorn tells Frodo about Beren, the mortal man who loved the elf Lúthien. Tolkien had both names carved on his and his wife’s gravestone, which is about as romantic a namesake as a baby name gets.
26. Bernard
Another Germanic name, Bernard means hardy as a bear, or simply strong as a bear.
It comes with more nicknames than most: Bert, Bernie, and Barney in English, Ben in the Netherlands, and Bernt in Denmark. That range is useful if you like the formal version but suspect your son will not.
27. Berthold
Berthold is a German name meaning bright strength.
The second element gets read two ways, so you will also see the name given as bright ruler. Either way it is a big, old-world choice, and Bert or Berti carries it day to day.
28. Bidzil
Bidzil is a Navajo name meaning he is strong.
You will also see it written Bidziil and Bidzill. If you are drawn to it without Navajo family ties, read up on the culture the name comes from before you commit.
29. Brian
The meaning of Brian is genuinely disputed, though a common reading traces it to the Irish Celtic root bri, meaning force, strength.
It is also the least intimidating name here, which is part of the appeal: Irish heft, no spelling lessons. Harry Potter readers may enjoy that Albus Dumbledore’s full name includes Brian.
30. Buggi
The name comes from the Old Norse word bugge, meaning powerful man.
It worked as a by-name rather than a given name, a tag added after someone’s name, so a powerful man called Eric became Eric Buggi. Surnames grew out of that habit. Worth knowing before you use it, since English speakers will hear the first syllable as bug.
31. Chacha
According to some sources, Chacha is a Kiswahili name from East Africa meaning strong.
Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by roughly 80 million people across central and east Africa, where it serves as the common language of trade. Be aware that chacha reads as a dance step to most American ears.
32. Chanin
Chanin is the English spelling of the Thai name ชนินทร์, meaning strong person.
It has never been common in the United States: fewer than 400 American babies appear in Social Security records with the name across well over a century. Two easy syllables and no nickname pressure make it a low-maintenance pick.
33. Chasin
Chasin is an ancient Hebrew name meaning strong, mighty.
Said CHAH-sohn, it is rare enough that only a handful of American boys receive it in a given year. Your son will be the only Chasin in his class, and probably in his school.
34. Chidike
In Igbo, the name Chidike means God is strong.
Igbo is spoken by approximately 45 million people, most of them in southeastern Nigeria. The Chi- element refers to God and opens a whole family of Igbo names, so Chidike sits naturally among its cousins.
35. Chukwubuikem
Chukwubuikem is an Igbo name that means God is my strength.
Families who use it often pair it with Chuck day to day, which is why it appeals to parents who want to honor their ancestry and still hand their son an easy English nickname. Five syllables on the birth certificate, one at the dinner table.
36. Conall
Conall is an Irish name that means strong as a wolf.
Legendary Irish kings and warriors carried it, and it is stamped on the map: the old name for what is now County Donegal was Tyrconnell, the land of Conall. It gives you an Irish pick that has not been worn smooth the way Connor has.
37. Craft
Craft is a medieval German name meaning strong or courageous.
Knights favored it in the Middle Ages, and it first appears as a surname in 14th-century Bavaria. Today it lands as a word name with an occupational ring, closer to Chase or Cash than to Klaus.
38. Daugalias
Daugalias is built from the old Lithuanian words for much and power.
The galias element is slippery: it has also been read as fierce or angry, as remorseful or sorrowful, and as jagged or sharp. That range makes it a name to check with a Lithuanian speaker before you use it.
39. Deandre
Deandre is an American name read as many, strong.
It appeared in the United States in the 1970s, when adding De to an older name like Andre became a popular way to make it new. You will see it capitalized both ways, Deandre and DeAndre, so settle on one before the birth certificate.
40. Decebal
Decebal means strong, powerful, brave in the ancient Dacian language.
Dacian was spoken across what is now Romania and Moldova, and Decebal was the last king of Dacia. A giant carving of his head still looks out over the water at Dubova in Romania, which is a hard namesake to top.
41. Denzel
Denzel is treated as a variant of Denzil, a Cornish surname that originally marked someone from the manor of Denzell. You will often see it glossed as from the stronghold, but that reading is folklore rather than documented etymology.
Its strength is association rather than translation: the spelling was popularized by actor Denzel Washington, born in 1954 and named after his father. The name last appeared in the U.S. top 1,000 at #985 in 2013, so it now reads as a 1990s classic instead of a current pick.
42. Drew
Drew is the short form of Andrew, the English name meaning manly, strong, warrior.
It has drifted toward girls over the last few decades, largely thanks to Drew Barrymore, who was named after her father. If you want the meaning without the formality, this is the one-syllable version.
43. Drudo
Drudo is a medieval Italian name meaning strong, defender.
In Italy it turns up more often as a surname, and the modern Italian word drudo means lover or paramour. That second meaning is worth knowing if you have Italian-speaking relatives.
44. Egon
Egon has its roots in German, and it is usually given as strong with a sword.
The exact sense is debated. Some references read it as edge of a sword and others as pointed sword, while in parts of the Nordic countries it is linked to a word for goat. American parents tend to hear Ghostbusters first, since Egon Spengler is the name’s best-known screen bearer.
45. Ejikeme
Ejikeme is an Igbo name from western Africa meaning to use strength.
It travels more often as a surname, and in that form it turns up around the world, including in the Ellis Island immigration records. The meaning is closer to applied effort than to raw force, which is a useful distinction in a list full of warriors.
46. Elfried
Elfried is an old German name meaning elf strength.
It runs the usual pattern backwards. Instead of a feminine form built from a man’s name, Elfried is the masculine version of Elfrieda, a girls’ name still used in Germany and the Nordic countries.
47. Enzi
Enzi is a Swahili word used as a name, and it means power, might, dominion, or rule.
The same word also covers age or era, as in the reign of a particular ruler, and Swahili borrowed it from Arabic. Expect it to be misheard as Enzo, which is far more familiar to American ears, so you will be repeating it.
48. Eric
The name Eric has its roots in ancient Norse cultures and means ever mighty.
If you want a strong meaning inside an ordinary name, this is the easiest pick here. Eric peaked at #17 in 1981 and had eased to #273 by 2025, so it now reads classic rather than dated, and it comes with plenty of namesakes: Eric Clapton, Eric McCormack, and Eric Bana among them.
49. Ethan
Ethan comes from an ancient Hebrew name meaning solid, firm, strong.
Most people know the English pronunciation EE-thuhn, but in French-speaking countries it is said eh-TAN. It is also the most popular name on this list by a wide margin: #2 in both 2009 and 2010, and still #24 in 2025 (1), so expect company on the playground.
50. Evander
Evander carries two meanings because it has two separate histories: the good of man, and strong bow warrior.
One line is the Latin form of the Greek Εὔανδρος, the figure said to have founded the settlement where Rome later stood. The other is the English form of the Scottish name Iomhar, itself the Scottish version of the Norse Ivor, meaning strong bow warrior. After decades off the U.S. charts the name returned in 2021 and reached #698 in 2025 (2), its highest rank on record.
51. Eyal
Eyal is a Hebrew name that means strength.
It is also the name of a kibbutz in Israel’s central Sharon region. Short and unfussy, it is common enough in Israel to be unremarkable there and still unusual enough in the United States to feel like a find.
52. Ezekiel
Ezekiel comes from the Hebrew Yehezqel, meaning God will strengthen, from hazaq, to strengthen, and el, God.
It is one of the most popular biblical strength names, ranked #61 among U.S. boys’ names in 2025 (3), with Zeke waiting as the short form. Film fans know the verse Samuel L. Jackson’s character recites in Pulp Fiction, though most of that speech was written by Quentin Tarantino rather than lifted from Ezekiel 25:17.
53. Fermin
Fermin is the Basque form of Firmin, from a root meaning firm, strong.
The Running of the Bulls is part of the Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain, held for the saint who, by tradition, was martyred by being tied to a bull by his feet and dragged to his death. It is a vivid backstory for a name that sounds calm.
54. Gabriel
Gabriel is a Hebrew name that means God is my strength.
Gabriel appears in the scriptures of all three main Abrahamic faiths, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, as the archangel who carries and interprets messages. It is also reliably popular without being everywhere: #21 at its 2010 peak, and #37 in 2025.
55. Garrett
This is the English version of the German name Gerard, meaning hard or strong, spear.
The same name has spun off variants across Europe. The Frisian short form, used in what is now the northern Netherlands and northwestern Germany, is Kai, which is worth knowing if you like the meaning but not the sound.
56. Godric
An ancient Anglo-Saxon name, Godric means the power of God.
Godric of Finchale was a medieval English hermit remembered for his kindness to animals: he is said to have hidden a stag from hunters and let snakes warm themselves beside him as he slept by his fire. The -ric ending puts him in the same family as Aldric and Baldric above.
57. Griffin
Griffin is an anglicized version of a Welsh name meaning strong prince, or lord.
The Welsh original is Gruffud, a favorite among medieval Welsh royalty, so it is a real option for honoring Welsh ancestry. It has also settled into comfortable American use, holding #222 in 2025 after its best showing at #214 in 2023, and the mythical griffin gives it a built-in mascot.
58. Haile
Haile means power, might and is an Amharic name most commonly used in Ethiopia.
Haile Selassie I ruled Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, took the country into the League of Nations and later the United Nations, and made Addis Ababa the seat of the Organization of African Unity, which became the African Union. Note that English speakers tend to read the name as HAY-lee, so expect to correct them.
59. Hamza
Hamza comes from the Arabic hamuza, which means strong, steadfast.
Hamza was an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, remembered as an archer and a wrestler, and his story fills the epic poem Hamzanama. In the United States the name first entered the rankings at #946 in 1998 and had climbed to #541 by 2025.
60. Hariric
Hariric is an old German name that means powerful, army, ruler.
As a surname it usually appears as Haririk, with the last two letters flipped. It is the rarest of the -ric names collected here, which is either the appeal or the problem.
61. Honovi
Meaning strong or strong deer, Honovi is a Hopi name.
The Hopi are a Native American people who live primarily in northeastern Arizona, where the Hopi language is still spoken today. As with any name taken from a living Indigenous culture, learn something about that culture before you borrow from it.
62. Ikemba
Ikemba is an Igbo name which means strength of a nation.
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Nigerian military leader and politician who headed the secessionist state of Biafra from 1967 to 1970, was known as Ikemba. The word carries that history with it, so this is a name with political weight as well as a meaning.
63. Imre
Imre is a Hungarian name that means strength.
It is used in Estonia too, where April 10th is Imre’s name day, the date on which everyone with the name is celebrated. Two syllables, said IM-reh, and almost unheard of in the United States.
64. Jabbar
Jabbar is an Arabic name meaning powerful.
Al-Jabbar is one of the 99 names of God in Islam, and it is also the Arabic name for the constellation English speakers call Orion. A name that means powerful and points at a hunter in the winter sky is doing a lot of work with two syllables.
65. Jarek
Jarek is a Slavic name meaning fierce, strong.
It works mostly as a short form for the Jaro- names, Jaroslaw and Jaroslav among them, and only occasionally stands alone on a birth certificate. As a full name it is short, sharp, and easy for English speakers.
66. Jashyia
Jashyia, or JaShyia, is an American baby name that means God’s strength.
It blends the Ja- prefix with Shyia, a phonetic respelling of the Hebrew name Shia. Because it is a modern coinage rather than an inherited name, most people will ask how to spell it.
67. K’awiil
K’awiil is an ancient Mayan name meaning powerful.
K’awiil was the Maya god of lightning, and the civilization spread across what is now southeastern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador. The glottal stop in the middle is the hard part for English speakers, so decide early how your family will say it.
68. Kenji
Kenji is a name that means strong, healthy in Japan.
As with Kenzo, the meaning depends on which kanji are used to write it. The ji element often carries the sense of second, in the way Kenzo’s zo can mean third, so the name has traditionally suited a second son.
69. Kenzo
Kenzo is a Japanese name that means strong, healthy.
Written Japanese gives you options here: the ken sound can be 謙, 健, or 賢, which mean humble, strong, and wise respectively. The same spoken name can therefore be written three different ways with three different emphases.
70. Limbani
A Chewa name from southern Africa, Limbani means be strong.
It is used mostly in Malawi, and also in Mozambique and Zambia. Interest outside the region picked up after a character named Limbani appeared in Black Panther. The imperative form gives the name the feel of encouragement rather than a label.
71. Magni
Magni comes from the old Norse word magn, which means mighty, strong.
In Norse mythology Magni is a son of Thor and the giantess Járnsaxa. In the Marvel version his mother is the Enchantress instead, which is the kind of detail a comic-reading older sibling will correct you on.
72. Malthe
Malthe is a Danish name meaning power, rule.
The first documented use goes back to the 13th century, and it became a Danish favorite from the 1980s onward while staying almost unknown outside the country. The silent-sounding th will need explaining to English speakers.
73. Mandla
Mandla means strength and is a name used by the Xhosa.
It is often but mistakenly filed as Zulu. IsiXhosa is a related but distinct language, spoken by the Xhosa, a Bantu ethnic group of roughly 8 million people in southern Africa. It is a familiar name across southern Africa and nearly unused in the United States, so expect to explain the origin more often than the spelling.
74. Ma’oz
Ma’oz is a Hebrew name that means fortress, strength.
The traditional Jewish liturgical poem Ma’oz Tzur is sung after the festival lights are lit during Hanukkah, and boys born during the holiday are sometimes given the name. That makes it a fitting pick for a December baby with a family tradition to carry.
75. Maska
Maska is a Native American name meaning strong.
Sources rarely agree on which nation it comes from, which is a common problem with names collected loosely under the Native American label. If it is on your shortlist, try to trace it to a specific language and community first.
76. Meinrad
An ancient Germanic name, Meinrad means strong counsel.
Saint Meinrad is venerated in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions as a patron of hospitality, and the town of Saint Meinrad in Indiana carries his name. Strong counsel is a quieter kind of power than most names here promise.
77. Montgomery
Montgomery is an English name meaning mighty man.
Trace it back and you get the Norman French phrase for Gumarich’s mountain, from the old German name Gumarich, meaning mighty ruler or man. Four syllables is a lot for a toddler, but Monty is waiting.
78. Napayshni
Napayshni is a Lakota name meaning strong, courageous.
The Lakota are one of the three main divisions of the Sioux. As with the other Indigenous names on this list, it deserves real research and respect rather than a casual pick off a page.
79. Nero
This is a Latin name that means strong, vigorous, or powerful.
It belonged to one of Rome’s most notorious emperors, which is the obvious hurdle, but the sound itself is short and current in a way most Latin names are not. If the history bothers you, it makes a bolder middle name.
80. Njord
This name is from the old Norse Njǫrðr, meaning strong, vigorous.
Njord was the Norse god of sailing, fishing, the sea, and fertility, which makes it a natural pick for a family with a real connection to the water. The opening Nj- cluster is the only difficult part in English.
81. Ofu
Ofu is a traditional Idoma name meaning power, strength.
It is also the name of an island in the Pacific nation of American Samoa, home to fewer than 200 people. Two syllables and no consonant clusters make it easy to say in any accent.
82. Osiris
Osiris is the anglicized version of the Egyptian name Usir, which means powerful or mighty.
In Egyptian religion Osiris ruled the underworld and judged the dead, which gives the name real gravity. It is a lot to carry day to day, though Ozzy makes an easy short form.
83. Oswald
Oswald is an old English name meaning divine power.
It had faded by the Middle Ages and was revived in the late 19th century. Comic readers know Oswald Cobblepot as the Penguin’s real name in the Batman books, and Oz or Ozzie handles the day to day.
84. Oz
A Hebrew name, Oz means strength.
It can also be read as courage: Itur HaOz, the Medal of Courage, is an Israeli military combat decoration. It is about as short as a name gets, though every American will think of the Wizard first.
85. Prabhu
Prabhu means powerful, mighty master in Sanskrit.
In several Indian languages it also carries the sense of prince or lord, and it is a common surname along the Konkan coast of India. That means Indian relatives may hear it as a family name rather than a first name.
86. Qadir
Qadir is the Latin script form of قادر, the Arabic name meaning capable, powerful.
In Islam al-Qadir is one of the 99 names of God, the one that speaks to ability rather than force. You will also see the name spelled Qadar, Kader, Kadir, or Kadeer, and the meaning holds in every spelling.
87. Raghnall
Raghnall is the Scottish and Irish form of the Norse name Ragnvaldr, meaning advice, power.
It is the older, sharper relative of Ronald, so it works if you want to nod to your Celtic roots without using a name that peaked two generations ago. You will spell it out every time.
88. Richard
Richard comes from the old German words meaning brave ruler.
If a family Richard is expected of you and the English version leaves you cold, the same name exists in other languages: Ricard, Risteárd, Ricardo, and Riku all count. That is a useful way to honor a relative without repeating a name outright.
89. Roderick
Roderick is a British boy’s name meaning famous, strong ruler.
It was the name of the last king of the Visigoths, a people whose territory once reached across Gaul, the Roman name for the land that is now France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and parts of Germany, Switzerland, and northern Italy. Rory and Rod both work as short forms.
90. Rostam
Rostam is a name of Persian origin which means strong, valiant, brave.
He is the great hero of Persian epic, and his most famous story is a tragedy: he fights and kills an opponent, then learns afterward that it was his own son. Few names here carry that much literature behind them.
91. Sisu
Sisu is a Finnish boy name meaning strength, tenacity, determination, and willpower.
In Finland sisu is less a word than a national trait: the grit that keeps you going after the sensible person has quit. Finnish-American communities in Upper Michigan put it on bumper stickers, either Got Sisu? or just SISU.
92. Swithin
Swithin is an old English name that means strong and, perhaps, bear cub.
Saint Swithin was a 9th century bishop, and English folklore holds that rain on his feast day means 40 more days of it. That gives the name a weather superstition attached, which is more than most can claim.
93. Tahmuras
Tahmuras is the Persian form of the Avestan name Takhma Urupi, meaning strong body.
The Avesta is the main collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, often described as the oldest religion still in continuous practice. The name is rare outside Iranian communities, and it shortens to Tam.
94. Takeshi
The Japanese name Takeshi shifts meaning with the kanji used to write it.
Depending on the characters, it can read as strong, fierce, warrior, healthy, sturdy, masculine, or even intimidate. Pokemon fans know it as the Japanese name of the character English viewers call Brock.
95. Uzziah
Uzziah is an ancient Hebrew name that means my strength is Yahweh.
The best-known Uzziah took the throne of Judah at 16 and reigned for decades. The name shares its root, oz, with Oz on this list, which makes it the long formal version of a very short idea.
96. Valens
Valens is a Latin name meaning strong, healthy, vigorous.
The classical Latin pronunciation is closer to WAH-lens than VAL-enz, so using the original will cost you some correcting. It is also the direct relative of Valentine and Valerian just below.
97. Valentine
Valentine is an anglicized form of the ancient Roman name Valentinus, which means strong.
The saint had nothing to do with romance. His feast day simply fell on February 14th, the same date as the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, and the two ran together over the centuries. The name is still used for boys across much of Europe, whatever American greeting cards suggest.
98. Valerian
Valerian comes from the Roman cognomen Valerianus, which grew out of the family name Valerius. That name traces back to the Latin valeo, meaning to be strong.
It is the most literal pick on this list, and the same Latin root sits behind words like valiant and valor. Publius Licinius Valerianus, the third-century Roman emperor known as Valerian, is the best-known bearer, though his reign ended in capture by the Persians. English speakers may also think of the calming herb, which takes the edge off a very martial name.
99. Wayan
Wayan is a Sanskrit name meaning energy, strength, age.
It traces back to the Sanskrit word vayas, and in Bali and Indonesia it is traditionally given to a firstborn child regardless of gender. That makes it a rare thing: a strength name with a birth-order meaning built in.
100. Zale
The name Zale is Greek and means sea-strength.
The Z opening gives it a modern sound, and it suits a family with a real connection to the water. Americans may hear the jewelry chain first, an association that fades quickly once there is an actual Zale in the room.
