Strong baby girl names are a beautiful way to empower your daughter from the start. These names resonate with strength, resilience, and grace.
This list features a variety of 100 strong baby girl names, each with its own distinct meaning and cultural significance. Whether you’re inspired by historical figures, mythology, or powerful attributes, these names offer a robust identity for your little girl.
100 Strong Baby Names For Girls
When you’re thinking of choosing a name because of its meaning, you are following in the footsteps of many ancient and not-so-ancient cultures. These strong girl names may help you narrow down your choices.
1. Adira
This is the feminine version of the name Adir, which is a Hebrew name meaning strong, courageous, mighty.
In the Disney production Tangled: The Series, Adira is the name of Rapunzel’s guide to the source of the Black Rocks. The character is a fierce warrior and a master of martial arts, so it’s a good fit if you’re looking for female warrior names.
2. Alcmene
An ancient Greek name, Alcmene, is derived from two words meaning strength and wrath.
In Greek mythology, Alcmene was, among other things, the mother of Hercules, whose father was the god Zeus. It is said, she was in labor with Hercules for seven days and seven nights, which sounds like a spectacular display of strength.
3. Alessia
The name Alessia evolved from Alexander, which means defender of man.
Alessia Cara was the first Canadian to win the Best New Artist award at the Grammys. She was discovered by a record producer after he was shown a YouTube video of Cara singing by his daughter.
4. Alexia
The female name of the Greek name Alexis, Alexia means defender of man.
In Resident Evil, Alexia Ashford, and her brother Alfred are created by their father Alexander. After discovering she was the result of her father’s experiment, Alexia injects herself with the T-Veronica virus with the intent of becoming an unstoppable world dictator.
5. Aluma
Aluma is from the medieval Hebrew word אֲלוּמָה or aluma, meaning strong or brave.
In modern Hebrew, this sounds like the word alma, meaning sheaf. Sometimes the name is associated with the word alma, which means a young girl or a damsel.
6. Andricia
The name Andricia has unclear origins and is said to mean strong.
Some sources say this name comes from South Africa, while others say it is Greek. To confuse things further, although it is rarely used, the country in which it is seen most often is Brazil.
7. Audrey
Audrey comes from the Old English Æðelþryð and means noble strength.
In 1957, Hurricane Audrey struck the southwestern Louisiana coast, causing the death of at least 416 people. So destructive was this storm that the name was retired, and there will never again be another hurricane Audrey.
8. Ayesha
Ayesha is an Arabic name meaning alive.
Flight lieutenant Ayesha Farooq made headlines when she became the first female fighter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force to pass the exams and become combat-ready.
9. Baldey
Baldey is an Icelandic name that means strong, bold, or dangerous.
Family names are not traditionally used in Iceland. Instead, children take a surname indicating they are the son or daughter of their parent.
10. Balsinde
An Old Saxon name, Balsinde means destruction or strong.
Found in Medieval Europe, Balsinde is pronounced bal-sin-dee. It was predominately used as a surname, but also popped up occasionally as a first or only name.
11. Balwinder
Balwinder is an Indian name that means strength and might, combined with the name of the god Indra.
Indra is an ancient Hindu god of thunderbolts who brings rain and defeats the anti-gods. In Hinduism, Indra is not worshipped but is still the god of rain, ruler of the heavens, and the east’s guardian.
12. Bellatrix
In Latin, Bellatrix means female warrior so it easily earns its spot on any list of powerful girl names.
Bellatrix is the name of a star in the constellation, Orion. It has become more well known in recent years due to villain and Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, in the Harry Potter books.
13. Belisama
Belisama is an Ancient Gaul name that means strong or bright.
A goddess who was worshipped in ancient Gaul and Britain, Belisama was associated with fire, light, lakes, and rivers. She is often compared to the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, Minerva.
14. Bellicent
Bellicent is a name found in Arthurian legend and means proper or decent and strength.
In Of Arthour and of Merlin, written in the late 13th century, King Arthur’s half-sister is called Bellisent. Then, when Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote his Arthurian tale, Gareth and Lynette, he used the Bellicent spelling.
15. Berke
The name Berke comes from both the Turkish berk and Mongolianberkh meaning strong or firm.
While solely a masculine name in Mongolia, where it was the name of the Mongol Golden Horde ruler from 1257-1266, in Turkish it is both a masculine and feminine name.
16. Boudicca
Boudicca is derived from the Brythonic boud, which means victory.
Boudicca was an Iceni tribe queen who led her people in an uprising against invading Roman forces in what is now known as England.
17. Bree
Bree is an anglicized form of the Irish name Brígh, meaning power or high.
A name in its own right, Bree can also be the shortened version of Brianna, the feminine version of Brian. If you go for Brianna so you can shorten to Bree, be aware the longer name has the slightly different meaning of high or noble.
18. Brigitta
The Hungarian, German, and Dutch form of Bridget, this name means strength.
In Irish mythology, Bridget was the goddess of fire, poetry, and wisdom. This is an excellent choice if you want to give the nod to your family’s Irish heritage, but do not want to use the more traditional Bridget.
19. Carla
Carla evolved from the German hari, which means warrior.
The name Carla reached its peak of popularity in the U.S. in the mid-1960s. Since then it has seen a slow, but steady decline in use.
20. Carole
Carole is the French feminine form of Carolus, which is the Latin version of Charles, meaning army warrior.
Carole peaked in popularity in the United States in 1942 when it reached No. 35 on the Social Security Administration’s list of popular baby names.
21. Chike
Chike means God’s power in Igbo.
Although it hits this list as a girl’s name Chike is gender-neutral. Chike-Ezekpeazu Osebuka is a Nigerian singer famous for his participation in Project Fame West Africa in 2015 and The Voice Nigeria Season 1.
22. Charlotte
This is the French, feminine version of Charles, which means army or warrior.
Charlotte is one of those rare names that is seldom out of fashion. A solid, traditional choice that may never sound dated, it has the additional advantage of being shortened to Charlie.
23. Claudette
Claudette comes from the Ancient Roman surname, Claudius.
Claudette Colvin was 15 when she refused to give up her seat for a white woman on one of Montgomery’s segregated buses in March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks did the same.
24. Comfort
Comfort comes from the Latin confortare, meaning to strengthen greatly.
The Greeks and Romans believed you could instill a particular character trait into your child by using a name with a specific meaning. That is how Comfort came to be used as a name.
25. Constantia
Constantia is the female form of the Late Latin name Constans, meaning constant, steadfast.
Constantia was the oldest daughter of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great and his second wife, Fausta. She was later venerated as a saint and became known as Saint Constance.
26. Elfreda
This is a form of the Old English name Ælfþryðm, which means elf strength.
Surprisingly, Ælfþryð was a popular name with nobles in Anglo Saxon times. After the Normans invaded England, it fell out of use but was revived in the more usable form of Elfreda in the 19th century.
27. Empedonika
Empedonika is an Ancient Greek name from empedos, meaning steadfast, and nike, meaning victory.
Pronounced “em-ped-ō-ni-ka,” choose this name for your little warrior and she’s sure to be the only little “Empi” in her class or at the schoolyard.
28. Erica
This name is the Swedish feminine form of the ancient Nordic name, Eric, meaning always mighty.
Erica is a good choice if your family has Nordic roots. It has the added benefit of sounding modern, without being too capricious.
29. Erinna
Erinna may be from the Greek hêrôs, meaning hero.
Erinna is a prime example of how difficult it is to pin down the meaning of some names. There is much debate about this one, but the prevailing theory is that it is a shortened version of Herinna, which means female hero.
30. Ermintrude
This is from the ancient Germanic words meaning whole and strength.
While this is an ancient German name, it still pops up in popular culture from time to time. Ermintrude was a sassy, opera singing cow in the British children’s television show, The Magic Roundabout.
31. Etana
Etana means strong in Swahili and determination in Hebrew.
Sometimes the same name has vastly different meanings, depending on which language you speak or are referencing. Etana is close enough in either Swahili or Hebrew that this is not an issue.
32. Fallon
Fallon means leader, and it evolved from the Irish surname Ó Fallamhain.
First aired in 1981, the TV show Dynasty featured a character named Fallon. It’s no coincidence that Fallon made its first appearance in the top 1,000 name list the same year.
33. Fianna
The meaning of this name is unknown.
An example of a noun that has been repurposed as a name, the Fianna in mythology were based on the historical bands formed in medieval Ireland.
34. Freja
Freja is an Old Norse name that means lady.
In Norse mythology Freja was the goddess of beauty, love, war, and death. She laid claim to half the warriors who died on the battlefield and took them to live with her in Fólkvangr, the Field of the Army.
35. Frideswide
This name is from the Old English name Friðuswiþ, which means peace or strong.
Saint Frideswide is the patron saint of the English city of Oxford, as well as the patron saint of Oxford University.
36. Gabriella
This is the feminine version of Gabriel, a Hebrew name meaning God is my strength.
The angel Gabriel plays a significant role in the holy books of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. While the details vary slightly between religions, he is consistently seen as having a central role as a communicator between God and man.
37. Geesi
Geesi means courageous, bold, or brave in Somali.
Those who have English as their first language may assume that this is pronounced Gee-see. However, the correct pronunciation is Gay-see.
38. Generys
Generys is a medieval Welsh name meaning girl hero.
It’s an unusual name that manages to be pretty, without being cutesy. The downside is that people will mistakenly think you named your child after the Game of Thrones character Daenerys.
39. Gertrude
Gertrude is derived from the German words for strength and spear.
Popular in the early 1900s, Gertrude fell out of favor and became viewed as an old-fashioned, old lady’s name. You may also be sentencing your child to a lifetime of being called Dirty Gerty.
40. Gesa
Gesa is a shortened form of the name Gertrude.
Rarely seen today, Gesa was used in Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands as a nickname for girls whose name began with ger. But it became a name in its own right.
41. Gunhild
An Old Norse name, Gunhild comes from the words for war and battle.
This name is a slight deviation from strong. However, we couldn’t pass up the chance to include a name that Vikings gave to their daughters to ensure they would be wild, warrior women.
42. Gwendolen
Gwendolen is a Welsh name meaning white ring.
The daughter of a king in Ancient Britain married, and after her father died, her husband divorced her, moved his mistress into her father’s castle, and made himself king. She waged war upon him, won, and became Queen Gwendolen.
43. Harlow
Harlow evolved from the Germanic word for army.
Harlow was used as a boy’s name at the turn of the last century, but fell out of favor in the 1930s. After Nicole Richie chose it for her daughter in 2008, Harlow became a relatively popular girl’s name.
44. Harriet
Harriet is a feminine form of Henry, which means home ruler.
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery, escaped, and then used the Underground Railway to help other slaves escape. She also served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
45. Hera
Hera is from the ancient Greek word for hero or warrior.
In Greek mythology, Hera was the queen of the gods and goddess of marriage and birth. Hera was queen in her own right and ruled over the heavens and Earth, both before and after her marriage to the king of the gods, Zeus.
46. Herta
Herta is a Romanian name that means strong.
Herta Müller is a Romanian-born German writer whose writing reveals what life was like under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu. She won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009 for her work.
47. Hertha
Hertha is a German name meaning strong pr vigorous.
The name Hertha evolved after the misreading of a text by ancient Roman politician and historian Tacitus. He wrote about Nerthus, a Germanic goddess of fertility, but his writing was misread as Herthus – and an entirely new name was born.
48. Hilda
From the ancient Germanic word hild, Hilda means battle.
Hilda began as a nickname for girls whose name had the element hild, such as Mathilda, which later became Matilda. While Hilda is now relatively rare in English speaking countries, it is a popular name in Finland and Sweden.
49. Simone
Simone is a form of Simon, meaning he has heard.
Simone Segouin joined the French Resistance at the age of 17 and took part in a multitude of missions against the occupying forces of Nazi Germany.
50. Indartusa
Indartusa is the Basque word for strong.
The Basque people are from an area in what is now known as North Eastern Spain and South Western France. This may be a good name if you have ancestors from the region.
51. Indra
Indra is a Latvian name meaning home ruler.
A girl’s’ name in Latvia, Sweden, and Finland, Indra is also the name of the Hindu warrior god of the heavens, storms, thunder, rain, and war. It is usually a boy’s name in India and Nepal.
52. Iraida
Iraidia is a Russian name that means hero.
In Russia, this name is written Ираида. Iraida is the Latin spelling that is used predominantly in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
53. Jaiyana
Jaiyana means strength in Arabic.
We’ve listed Jaiyana as meaning strength in Arabic, although some sources say it is rooted in Urdu. It’s also on many lists of popular Muslim names, but we’ve tried to restrict our definitions to language or regions rather than religion.
54. Jara
Jara is a Slavic name meaning fierce, which makes it a good choice for those looking for tough girl names.
Jara is the feminine form of Jaro, which is a shortened version of Jaromír, which comes from the Slavic words for fierce and peace or world.
55. Kaimana
Kaimana is a Hawaiian name that means powerful sea.
This name is made of two Hawaiian words – kai, meaning sea, and mana, meaning powerful. Kaimana is listed as being the mononym of seven men and two women in the 19th-century marriage records of the Hawaii State Archives.
56. Kendra
Kendra is the feminine form of Ken, meaning born of fire, and Kendrick, meaning either royal power, or chief hero.
Kendra has a complex mixture of sources with its roots in Old English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, and Gaelic. This makes it a good choice if you want a name that reflects mixed British family history.
57. Larasati
Larasati is an Indonesian name that means firm, strong, steadfast.
The character of Dewi Larasati is one of the 41 wives of Arjuna in the play, Mahabharata. She does not appear in the original Indian version, but was created by Indonesian poets as a woman who has expertise in soldiering and archery.
58. Llewella
Llewella evolved from the Welsh name, Llywelyn, meaning leader.
In the Chronicles of Amber book series, Princess Llewella is a character who removes herself from the rest of her family and goes to live in Rebma, an underwater city that is the reflection of Amber.
59. Mary
The meaning of Mary is disputed. Some scholars say it means beloved, or wished for child, while others say it means sea of bitterness. Rebelliousness is also a possible meaning.
In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Her book argued that men and women were equal and is considered a foundational book of the concept of feminism.
60. Matilda
An English name, Matilda means strength in battle.
Matilda is the English version of the Germanic name Mahthildis. Both names were popular in Europe from the 10th century, along with the shortened medieval form Maud. There is a popular children’s movie called Matilda that is named after the main character — a little girl with extraordinary powers.
61. Meja
Meja is a modern Swedish name meaning strength.
In this form, Meja comes from the Germanic language element magan, which means strength. However, meja is also Portuguese for table, the Serbo-Croat word for border, and a Spanish word used in Mexico to mean bestie/best friend.
62. Mélisande
Mélisande is a French name that means work, strong.
The use of Mélisande was prevalent in medieval France after Queen Mélisande of Jerusalem ascended to power. The queen was a popular role model after her husband tried to take control of her inherited kingdom. There was a coup, and she kicked his butt.
63. Mildred
Mildred comes from the Old English name Mildþryð, which means gentle strength.
Hugely popular in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mildred was the sixth most popular girl’s name from 1915 to 1920. However, after the mid-1930s, the use of the name declined and fell off the 1,000 girls’ names chart entirely in 1985.
64. Millicent
An old-fashioned contender on this list of strong female names is Millicent, which comes from the Germanic name Amalasuintha which means strong.
Amalasuintha was a queen in an area we now call the Balkans. Uncommon for a woman in her time, she was considered a tremendous intellectual and diplomat.
65. Minna
This name comes from the Old High German word magan, meaning strength.
Minna evolved among coastal people in the Netherlands and Germany. It was used for girls whose names began with the sound mein, which is the equivalent of the Old High German word magan. Confusingly, the Old High German word minna, means love.
66. Neith
Neith is likely to have evolved from Ancient Egyp and means she is the terrifying one.
Neith was a goddess from early history who was believed to have been the first being and the creator of all things.
67. Nerthus
This name comes from the Germanic word Nerthuz, meaning strong, vigorous, or healthy.
Nerthus is a minor Germanic pagan goddess of fertility. Some scholars believe she is also the unnamed sister-wife of the Old Norse god Njörðr.
68. Nimerah
Arabic in origin, Nimerah means tigress, strength, or power.
As well as being a name of Arabic origin, Nimerah is also an Urdu name used across Pakistan and India.
69. Olesia
Olesia is a Ukrainian name evolved from Alexandra, which means defender of men.
Olesia is one of those rare unusual names unique enough to ensure you never bump into another person with the same name. But it does not sound too out there.
70. Philomena
Philomena comes from the Greek words for friend or lover and strength or force.
The movie Philomena is based on the true story of an unmarried Irish girl who became pregnant in 1952. Sent to live in a home for unmarried mothers, the nuns running the home sold her son for $2,000.
71. Potentia
A Swedish name, Potenia, comes from the Latin potens, meaning light, power.
A more elaborate version of this name, Poteniana, was used in Denmark and the Faroe Islands. In both of these countries, the name day for Ptenianna is May 19th.
72. Reginn
Reginn is an Old Norse name that means the power of the gods.
A name traditionally used for boys in many Nordic countries, Reginn is beginning to crop up in other countries as a girl’s name.
73. Rögn
Rögn is an Icelandic name that means might, power.
Not usually seen outside of Iceland, and still extremely rare even there, Rögn is the Icelandic version of the Old Norse Reginn, which means might or power of the gods.
74. Ronalda
Ronalda is a Scottish name meaning wise ruler.
Ronalda is the feminine form of Ronald, a variation of Ragnvaldr, introduced to Scotland by Scandinavian invaders. Consequently, Ronalda might be a good option if you have Scottish or Scandinavian heritage.
75. Rǫskva
Rǫskva is an Old Norse name that means vigorous, brave.
In Norse mythology, Rǫskva and her brother Thialfi are servants to Thor, so this pair of fabulous Norse names might be suitable for twins.
76. Roswitha
A German name, Roswitha means fame or strength.
Roswitha is the slightly less imposing spelling of Hrotsvitha. Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim is considered by many as being the first woman playwright in the western world, so it could be an appropriate choice for a theater or literary family.
77. Ruth
Ruth is a Hebrew name meaning friend.
Whether or not you agree with Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s legal or political views, there is no denying she was a woman of immense strength.
78. Sabira
Sabira is derived from the Arabic ṣābir, meaning patient and steadfast.
Multiple websites list Sabira as a girl’s name but it is listed as having different meanings, depending on where you look. Some list only patient while others list only steadfast, and others list both.
79. Sabiha
Sabiha is a Turkish name that means beautiful.
Born in 1913, Sabiha Gökçen was the world’s first female combat pilot and the only female pilot featured on the 1996 USAF poster, The 20 Greatest Aviators In History.
80. Shakti
Shakti is a Hindu name meaning power.
In Hinduism, shakti is the name of the energy or force that is thought to move through the entire universe. It is the energy from which everything is created.
81. Sharla
An English variant spelling of Charla, Sharla means army, warrior.
Like so many other names, Sharla shares its roots with the boy’s name Charles. This makes it a possible choice if you wish to honor a family member with that name but do not want to use any of the more obvious options.
82. Signe
Signe is the modern version of the Old Norse Signý meaning new victory.
There are many Signýs in Norse legends, but the main two come to unfortunate ends, burning to death in fires they set themselves.
83. Sigrid
Sigrid comes from Old Norse, and it means beautiful victory.
You would be forgiven for assuming this name was seen exclusively in Scandinavian countries, but it had a brief flair of popularity in the U.S. at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.
84. Solveig
The name Solveig comes from the Old Norse words for sun and strength.
Solveig is the name of the central character in Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt. Evard Greig’s musical suite of the same name features “Solveig’s Song.” This was used by the U.S. metal group Kamelot in their song Forever.
85. Tahmina
Tahmina comes from Avestan Takhma Urupi, meaning strong, valiant.
In the Shahnameh, an epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi and considered a literary masterpiece, Tahmina is the daughter of the king of Samangan. She marries Rostam and bears him a son who, years later, he unknowingly kills in battle.
86. Treasa
Treasa is thought to be from the Irish Gaelic and means strength.
Treasa is often assumed to be an Irish form of Theresa, but it isn’t. Theresa is an entirely different name from the Spanish and Portuguese Teresa, which comes from the Greek meaning either to harvest or summer.
87. Trudi
Trudi comes from the Germanic name Gertrude, meaning spear and strength.
Trudi is an alternative spelling of Trudy, which was relatively popular in the U.S. during the mid-1940s and the early 1950s.
88. Tukuma
Tukuma is a Greenlandic name that means vigorous.
Tukuma is both a boy’s and a girl’s name. It’s also a more feminine version of the gender-neutral Tukumak, which has the same meaning but, to some ears, sounds a little stabby.
89. Valencia
From the Latin valentia, Valencia means strength or vigor.
The Spanish city of Valencia, from where the girl’s name was taken, is the location of the annual Fallas Festival. It’s held each March to celebrate St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.
90. Valerie
This is the English and German form of Valeria, which is derived from the Latin word valere, meaning to be strong.
Valerie is the first name of Ms. Frizzle of the children’s educational cartoon franchise, The Magic Schoolbus. Valerie was also the name of a song by Steve Winwood and was the first name of American actress Valerie Harper.
91. Velda
The meaning of Velda is power and to rule.
While never what you might call a popular name, Velda was in regular use in the U.S. during the first half of the last century. Since the 1960s it has fallen into disuse, so perhaps it’s time for a Velda revival?
92. Vilja
This name comes from the Swedish word vilja and the Norwegian word Vilje, both meaning strong desire or will.
As well as being a Nordic name, Vilja is the feminine form of the Estonian boy’s name Viljar, which means grain. Perhaps this makes Vilja the ideal name for a strong farmer’s or brewer’s daughter?
93. Walburga
This name comes from the German wald, meaning power, and burg, which means fortress.
Saint Walburga was an English girl born in 710 and raised in a convent where she was educated. She wrote of her brother’s travels in Palestine, leading to her being considered the first female author of England and Germany.
94. Waltraud
Waltraud comes from the Germanic walha, meaning foreign, with thrud, meaning strength.
The Ancient Germanic version of this name is the wonderful sounding Waldedrudis. However, we thought that might be too much of a stretch for a modern baby, so we chose the slightly more modern Waltraud instead.
95. Wangchuk
Wangchuk is a Tibetan name that means possessing power.
Wangchuck is a non-gender-specific name that, when used in Bhutanise naming customs, may be one of two given names. It is also the surname of the Bhutanese royal family.
96. Wangui
Wangui comes from Kikuyu ngũi, meaning song leader.
In the origin legend of the Kikuyu people of Kenya, Gĩkũyũ is created by God and marries Mumbi. The couple had nine daughters who founded the nine Kikuyu clans.
97. Wei
Wei is a Chinese name meaning power.
We have listed this as a strong name because it means power. But it can also be written 巍, meaning towering, 伟, meaning robust or extraordinary, 微, meaning small, or 薇, which means fern.
98. Wilma
Wilma is a feminine form of William, which means desires protection.
Wilma Young was a world-record holding Olympic champion in track and field. She accomplished this even though she was born prematurely, suffered from pneumonia, scarlet fever, and polio before she was five, and wore a leg brace until the age of 12.
99. Yennenga
The name Yennenga means slim.
Born over 900 years ago in what is now Ghana, Yennenga was a princess and is considered the mother of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso. Skillful with a bow, spears, and javelins, she fought alongside her father and commanded her own battalion.
100. Yi
Yi is a Chinese name that means resolute, decisive, or firm.
毅 has the definition above, but other characters used to form this name have other meanings. 怡 means joy or harmony, 宜 means suitable or proper, and 义 means justice, righteousness.
Start As You Mean To Go On
If you want to raise your daughter to be a strong woman, then start out by giving her a strong girl’s name that means power, strength, warrior, or something similar. Then teach her to embrace, not shy away from, her strength.
By doing so, you will be following in the footsteps of cultures throughout time, who bestowed names upon their children in the hope of shaping their future characters.
