Names that mean warrior: 100+ battle names for girls and boys
102 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest
Names that mean warrior include Matilda (strength in battle), Gunnar (battle warrior) and Ryder (mounted warrior), and most of them come from old Germanic, Norse and Celtic words for battle, army and spear.
This list gives 100+ real names with their accepted meanings and origins. Girl names and boy names come first, then Viking names, Celtic names, names that mean army, names built on weapons like spear and sword, and warrior names from Arabic, Japanese, Hawaiian, Turkish and other languages. We left out popular names whose warrior meaning is a myth or still disputed.
Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks
Volker
People's army; German. A fiddler-warrior in the Nibelungenlied
Matilda
Strength in battle; Germanic. A favorite of medieval queens
Brynja
Armor; Old Norse word for a coat of mail. Icelandic
Clotilde
Famous in battle; Frankish. The queen who converted King Clovis
Harold
Army ruler; Old English. The last Anglo-Saxon king of England
Cadell
Little battle; Welsh. Borne by two early kings of Powys
Girl names that mean warrior
Many of these come from hild, the old Germanic word for battle, which sits inside Matilda, Hilda and Hildegard.
- Maud: Strength in battle; the medieval English form of Matilda
- Mathilde: Strength in battle; French, German and Scandinavian form. Say ma-TEELD
- Matilde: Strength in battle; Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form. Say ma-TEEL-deh
- Matylda: Strength in battle; Polish form of Matilda. Say ma-TIL-da
- Mafalda: Strength in battle; an old Portuguese form of Matilda
- Tilda: Strength in battle; a short form of Matilda
- Hilda: Battle, combat; Germanic. Name of a 7th-century English abbess saint
- Hilde: Battle, combat; German, Dutch and Norwegian short form
- Clotilde: Famous in battle; Frankish. The queen who converted King Clovis
- Hedwig: Battle, warfare; Germanic. Borne by a saint and a Polish queen
- Hedda: Battle, warfare; Scandinavian pet form of Hedvig, and an Ibsen heroine
- Hedy: Battle, warfare; pet form of Hedwig, worn by actress Lamarr
- Luisa US #903: Famous warrior; Italian, Spanish and German feminine of Luis
- Lovisa: Famous warrior; Swedish feminine of Louis. Say loo-VEE-sa
- Ludovica: Famous warrior; Italian feminine of Ludwig. Say loo-DOH-vee-ka
- Hildegard: Battle enclosure; Germanic. A famous 12th-century abbess and composer
- Imelda: Great battle; Italian and Spanish form of Germanic Irmhild
- Brunhild: Armor and battle; Germanic. The warrior queen of the Nibelungenlied
Boy names that mean warrior
Battle names for boys from Frankish, Old English and Latin, several of them borne by kings.
- Ludwig: Famous warrior; German. Beethoven's first name
- Luigi: Famous warrior; Italian form of Louis. Say loo-EE-jee
- Ludovico: Famous warrior; Italian form of Ludwig. Say loo-doh-VEE-ko
- Clovis: Famous warrior; Frankish. The king who united the Franks
- Aloysius: Famous warrior; Latinized from an old Occitan form of Louis
- Alois: Famous warrior; German and Czech form of Aloysius
- Wystan: Battle stone; Old English. Poet W. H. Auden's first name
- Hereward: Army guard; Old English. An 11th-century rebel against the Normans
Viking warrior names
Old Norse names built on herr (army, warrior) and hildr (battle), and still common in Scandinavia.
- Einar: Lone warrior; Old Norse, kin to the einherjar of Valhalla. Say AY-nar
- Ragnar: Warrior of counsel; Old Norse. Name of the legendary Viking Lodbrok
- Hjalmar: Helmeted warrior; Old Norse. Say YAL-mar
- Steinar: Stone warrior; Old Norse. Popular in Norway and Iceland
- Ingvar: Ing's warrior; Old Norse, honoring the god Yngvi
- Alvar: Elf warrior; Old Norse. A classic Swedish name
- Harald: Army ruler; Old Norse. Borne by many kings of Norway and Denmark
- Brynja: Armor; Old Norse word for a coat of mail. Icelandic
- Hildur: Battle; Old Norse. Also the name of a valkyrie
- Gunhild: War and battle; Old Norse. A saga queen called Mother of Kings
- Gunilla: War and battle; Swedish form of Gunhild
- Ragnhild: Counsel and battle; Old Norse. Say RAHNG-hild
- Svanhild: Swan and battle; Old Norse. Sigurd's daughter in the sagas
- Borghild: Fortress and battle; Old Norse. Wife of Sigmund in legend
- Bodil: Remedy and battle; Old Norse. A classic Danish name. Say BOH-dil
- Brynhild: Armor and battle; Old Norse. A valkyrie queen in legend
Celtic warrior names
Irish, Scottish and Welsh names built on cath and cad, the Celtic words for battle.
- Cathal: Battle ruler; Irish Gaelic. Say KA-hal
- Duncan: Brown warrior; Scottish Gaelic. A Scottish king in Macbeth
- Murchadh: Sea battle; Irish Gaelic. Borne by medieval Irish kings
- Murdo: Sea battle; the Scottish form of Murchadh
- Fergal: Man of valor; Irish Gaelic. An 8th-century king of Ireland
- Cadell: Little battle; Welsh. Borne by two early kings of Powys
- Cadoc: Battle; Old Welsh. A 6th-century Welsh saint
- Cadfael: Battle prince; Old Welsh. A monk detective in Ellis Peters novels
- Cadfan: Battle peak; Old Welsh. A 6th-century missionary saint
- Cadwaladr: Leader of the battle; Welsh. Say kad-WAL-a-der
Names that mean army or soldier
The old Germanic word heri, army, hides inside many familiar names, and Greek stratos means the same.
- Herman: Army man; Germanic. Novelist Melville's first name
- Armand: Army man; French form of Herman. Say ar-MAHN
- Ermanno: Army man; Italian form of Herman. Say er-MAHN-no
- Gauthier: Ruler of the army; French form of Walter. Say go-TYAY
- Gualtiero: Ruler of the army; Italian form of Walter. Say gwal-TYEH-ro
- Herbert: Bright army; Germanic. Revived in the 19th century
- Lothar: Famous army; Germanic. Borne by Frankish kings. Say LOH-tar
- Gunther: War army; Germanic. A Burgundian king in the Nibelungenlied
- Dieter: People's army; German. Also a short form of Dietrich
- Volker: People's army; German. A fiddler-warrior in the Nibelungenlied
- Efstratios: Good army; Greek. Say ef-STRA-tee-os
- Stratos: Good army; Greek short form of Efstratios. Say STRA-tos
Names that mean spear, sword or arrow
Warriors were named for their weapons. Ger and gar mean spear in old Germanic names.
- Gerald: Power of the spear; Germanic. Common in Ireland for centuries
- Gerard: Brave spear; Germanic. Brought to Britain by the Normans
- Gerhard: Brave spear; German, Dutch and Scandinavian form of Gerard
- Ansgar: God's spear; Germanic. A missionary saint to the Danes
- Gary: Spear; from Norman names that began with ger
- Geir: Spear; Old Norse. A classic Norwegian name. Say GAYR
- Gertrude: Spear of strength; Germanic. Hamlet's mother in Shakespeare
- Hildebrand: Battle sword; Germanic. Hero of an Old High German poem
- Hjördis: Sword goddess; Old Norse, used in Sweden. Say YUR-dees
- Orvar: Arrow; Old Norse. Hero of a legendary Icelandic saga
Warrior names from around the world
Arabic, Hawaiian, Japanese, Turkish, Persian and Slavic warrior names, plus Latin names tied to Mars, the Roman god of war.
- Ghazi: Warrior, conqueror; Arabic. Say GHAH-zee
- Faris: Horseman, knight; Arabic. Say FAH-ris
- Takeshi: Warrior; strong (depends on characters). Japanese 武 gives the warrior sense
- Savaş: War, battle; Turkish. Say sa-VASH
- Bahadur: Hero, warrior; Persian, from Turkic. A Mughal royal title
- Wojciech: Joyful warrior; Slavic. A Polish favorite. Say VOY-chekh
- Bellatrix: Female warrior; Latin. Also a bright star in Orion
- Martino: Dedicated to Mars, god of war; Italian form
- Martina: Dedicated to Mars, god of war; Latin feminine of Martinus
- Martine: Dedicated to Mars, god of war; French and Dutch form
How to pick the right name
Check the real meaning
Many baby name sites say a name means warrior when it does not. Every name here has a documented battle, army or weapon meaning, so you can tell the story behind it with confidence.
Pick a softer form for daily life
Old warrior names often have gentle short forms. Matilda becomes Tilda, Hedwig becomes Hedy and Wojciech becomes Wojtek, so the meaning stays strong while the name stays easy.
Match the heritage
Choose Norse names like Einar or Gunhild for Scandinavian roots, Welsh cad names for Welsh roots, and Cathal or Fergal for Irish families.
Use it as a middle name
A bold name like Brunhild or Hildebrand can feel like a lot up front. As a middle name it adds meaning without stealing the spotlight.
Save this list for later
Pin it to a naming board, or tap the heart next to any name to keep it in your favorites on this device.
Frequently asked questions
What name means warrior?
Einar means lone warrior, Gunnar means battle warrior and Ryder means mounted warrior. Koa means brave or warrior in Hawaiian, and Ghazi means warrior or conqueror in Arabic.
What girl names mean warrior?
Matilda (strength in battle), Louise (famous warrior), Hilda (battle), Hedwig (battle, warfare) and Bellatrix (female warrior) are the best known. Most come from the Germanic word hild, battle.
What boy names mean warrior?
Louis and Ludwig mean famous warrior, Wyatt means brave in war, Duncan means brown warrior and Gunnar means battle warrior. Herman means army man.
What Viking names mean warrior?
Old Norse names ending in -ar often contain herr, warrior: Einar (lone warrior), Ragnar (warrior of counsel), Steinar (stone warrior) and Hjalmar (helmeted warrior).
Does Alexander mean warrior?
Not exactly. Alexander means defending men, from Greek alexo (to defend) and aner (man). It is a protector name rather than a warrior name, so we left it off this list.
More by meaning and generators
- Names that mean strong83 names. Names that mean strong, brave and powerful for girls, boys and any gender, from Matilda and Valentina to Ethan and Gabriel, with each name's meaning and origin.
- Strong boy names124 names. Strong boy names and male names that are strong: names meaning strength, bravery or warrior, plus kings, heroes and Vikings, each with its real meaning.
- Strong female names128 names. Strong female names with real meanings: girl names that mean strength, warrior, victory, queen and brave, plus badass names and names of trailblazing women.
- Viking names170 names. Real Viking names with Old Norse meanings: female and male names, famous Vikings, Viking surnames, names that honor Thor, Norse gods and bynames.
- Names that mean wolf96 names. Names that mean wolf for boys and girls, from Ulf and Lowell to Ylva, plus Old English and Norse wolf names, mythic wolves and the word wolf in other languages.
- Names that mean fire80 names. Names that mean fire or flame, like Aidan, Ember and Agni, with girl, boy and unisex picks, Irish fire names and names for lamps, candles and torches.
- Goddess names146 names. Goddess names from Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Celtic, Hindu and other mythologies, like Athena, Freya and Isis, with each goddess's domain.
- Names by MeaningNames by meaning: names that mean moon, light, fire, love, strength, hope and more, for girls, boys and every gender.
- Flower names for girls125 names. Flower names for girls: 120+ girl and female flower names like Lily, Daisy, Sakura and Rózsa, plus boy and unisex picks and names that mean rose or lotus.