100 Badass Boy Names From Real Life And Fictional Heroes

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Feb 16, 2024 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Nov 03, 2020
Kid boy in a helmet playing with Computer steering wheel
Age: 0-99
Read time: 7.9 Min

Want to give your son a cool and badass name?

Choosing a badass name for your son can be tricky since there are so many names to choose from. So let us help you make your search easier with our selection of badass boys' names.

A badass boys' name will allow your child to be the center of attention. Strong badass baby names can be inspired by fiction and also famous icons. Examples of strong, badass names you will find on this list include Ace, Ryder, Ben, and more cool names for boys. See below for more inspiring name ideas, categorized thematically, to make your choice of a badass baby name easier for you.

For more naming ideas, take a look at these cool alternative baby names or these edgy girl names.

Badass Boy Names Inspired By Real Life Heroes

Superheroes and real-life inspirations make for an excellent choice of male names.

1. Achilles (Greek origin) meaning "warrior" is the name taken by the great hero of the Trojan War according to Greek Mythology.

2. Ali (Arabic origin) meaning "all high, lofty and sublime". It is the title of Mohammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time.

3. Apollo (German origin) meaning "destroyer".

4. Arthur (English, Welsh origin) meaning "noble, courageous", this name is usually associated with the leader of the Round Table's knight who is also known by the name of King Arthur The Great.

5. Brian (Irish origin) meaning "noble, high", was the name of the first warrior who liberated Ireland from the Vikings.

6. Bryant (Celtic origin) meaning "strong".

7. Carlos (Spanish origin) meaning "free man, strong".

8. Donovan (Celtic origin) meaning "strong fighter".

9. Griffin (Welsh origin) meaning "strength in faith" is the cool baby name given to the famous Elon Musk's son.

10. Hades (Greek origin) meaning "sightless" is a unique choice for a baby name as this is associated with the Greek God of the underworld or hell.

11. Hardwin (English origin) meaning "brave friend".

12. Hector/Hektor (Greek origin) meaning "to restrain".

13. Kemen (Spanish origin) meaning "strong".

14. Leo (Latin origin) meaning "lion" is associated with Leo Tolstoy the great Russian writer.

15. Maximus (Latin origin) meaning "greatest" is usually associated with the badass name of the protagonist in the movie 'Gladiator'.

16. Neron (Spanish origin) meaning "strong".

17. Ryder (English origin) meaning "mounted warrior". This is a cool and badass name for baby boys.

18. Stone (English origin) meaning "dweller of the stone, rock". It is one of the names given to Steve Austin, an American actor.

19. Ulysses (Latin, Greek origin) meaning "wounded in the thigh" is also the Latin version of the name Odysseus - the protagonist of Homer's epic poem of the same name.

20. Zeus (Greek origin) meaning "God".

Boy Names With Super Badass Meanings

Adorable toddler dressed in black on pumpkin background

Some badass baby names have fascinating meanings behind their name.

21. Alpha (Greek origin) meaning "firstborn, strongest" is also a letter in the Greek language and a perfect click for your first baby.

22. Axel (Hebrew origin) meaning "the father is peace". It is associated with heavy metal rock, 'Guns 'N' Roses' band's lead vocalist, Axl Rose.

23. Baldwyn (German origin) meaning "brave friend". This can be a great badass boy name.

24. Blade (English origin) meaning "knife, sword" associated with the famous movie 'Blade Runner'.

25. Boris (Russian origin) meaning "to fight".

26. Buster (American origin) meaning "tough guy".

27. Chasin (Hebrew origin) meaning "strong".

28. Colt (English origin) meaning "from the dark town".

29. Dash (English origin) meaning "from the ash" is a derivative for the name Dashiell.

30. Draven (American origin) meaning "of the raven, avenger" is a contemporary badass name for a baby boy.

31. Falkor (Norse origin) meaning "guardian of the people".

32. Fox (English origin) meaning "wild animal".

33. Frederick (German origin) meaning "leader".

34. Grant (Irish origin) meaning "magnificent".

35. Gunner (Scandinavian origin) meaning "warrior".

36. Harlow (Old English origin) meaning "army hill" an unusual name for your little one.

37. Hunter (English origin) meaning "hunter pursuer".

38. Jax (English origin) meaning "God has been gracious" this name ending with "X" gives a badass quality to this baby name.

39. Jesse (Hebrew origin) meaning "wealthy, God's gift".

40. Jude (Greek origin) meaning "to be praised".

41. Kaiser (German origin) meaning "emperor".

42. Lennox (Scottish origin) meaning "abundance of elm trees".

43. Maddox (Wales origin) meaning "fortunate".

44. Marcelo (Italian origin) meaning "hammer". This could be the most badass baby name.

45. Max  (Latin origin) meaning "greatest" is a derivative for Maximus or Maximillian.

46. Neo (Latin origin) meaning "new" is a badass sounding unisex baby name meaning "gift" in African terms.

47. Nigel (Irish origin) meaning "champion" a popular name taken by many public figures across the world.

48. Ranger (English origin) meaning "forest protector".

49. Rebel (English origin) meaning "defiant person" is a unisex name.

50. Rocco (Italian origin) meaning "rock".

51. Rocket (English origin) meaning "jet-propelled tube" is a unisex name too.

52. Rogue (English origin) meaning "savage, unpredictable".

53. Rory (Scottish origin) meaning "red-haired king" one of the cool baby boy names for your little red-haired baby.

54. Ryker (Danish origin) meaning "brave power".

55. Shooter (Old English origin) meaning "cobbler, shoemaker" is a badass name for baby boys in the current age.

56. Soren (Danish origin) meaning "stern".

57.Strider (English origin) meaning "fast walker".

58. Striker (English origin) meaning "to stroke, smooth".

59. Talon (English origin) meaning "bird claw".

60. Tornado (English origin) meaning "thunderstorm". An intimidating and one of the most badass baby names.

61. Wilder (English origin) meaning "wild animal".

62. Zane (Hebrew origin) meaning "God's gift".

Badass Boys' Names From Popular Culture

Surprised little boy resting on bed

Many badass names come from popular fiction.

63. Ajax (Greek origin) meaning "eagle" one of the strongest baby boys' names.

64. Aladdin (Arabic origin) meaning "nobility of faith".

65. Ben (Hebrew origin) meaning "blessed".

66. Bishop (English origin) meaning "guardian" is a classic biblical name but has gained popularity after the character appearance in 'X-Men' movies as the guardian of 'Professor-X'.

67. Blaze (English origin) meaning "stutter".

68. Braddock (English origin) meaning "dweller by the broad oak" is one of the rarest and coolest names for a boy.

69. Bruce (English origin) meaning "the willow lands" is a name associated with Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego.

70. Buck (English origin) meaning "male deer".

71. Damon (Ancient Greece origin) meaning "to tame".

72. Darth (American origin) meaning "dark".

73. Draco (Italian origin) meaning "dragon, serpent".

74. Dustin (English origin) meaning "valiant".

75. Flash (American origin) meaning 'bright light".

76. Gatsby (German origin) meaning "left-handed, a person from Gat". This is the coolest name for a boy, and gained much popularity from the movie 'The Great Gatsby' where the titular character was played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

77. Grayson (English origin) meaning "son of the gray-haired one" is associated with Robin, Batman's sidekick who goes by the name Dick Grayson.

78. Harley (English origin) meaning "hare's meadow" is a biker name famous after Harley Davidson.  It is a unisex name.

79. Jagger (English origin) meaning "peddler".

80. Joffrey (English origin) meaning "peace of a stranger" from 'Game Of Thrones'.

81. Kent (English origin) meaning "of high or coastal land" is the rare name taken by the main character in 'Superman' named Clark Kent in his non-superhero life.

82. Lawton (English origin) meaning "hill town" is a popular name taken by Deadshot character in the movie 'Suicide Squad' played by Will Smith.

83. Logan (Irish origin) meaning "descendant of the warrior" is originally a surname but has gained the first name acknowledgment after Hugh Jackman played the badass character of Logan in the 'X-Men' movies.

84. Luke (Latin origin) meaning "the one born at dawn" is a strong choice of name derived from the Latin name Lucius and is associated with the protagonist Luke Skywalker from 'The Star Wars' movies.

85. Parker (English origin) meaning "park, keeper" is a unisex name and has been made popular after the Spiderman alias Peter Parker.

86. Phoenix (Greek origin) meaning "dark red", the mythical bird that comes back from the ashes.

87. Puma (Latin origin) meaning "mountain lion".

88. Quill (Irish origin) meaning "wood, forest" is a name associated with Peter Quill the Star Lord from the movie - 'Galaxy Of The Guardians'.

89. Reed (English origin) meaning "red-haired" is the name of the mastermind in 'Fantastic Four', Reed Richards.

90. Remy (Latin origin) meaning "oarsman" is a unisex baby name that took up popularity after the 'X-Men' character by the same name.

91. Rocky (Italian origin) meaning "rest" is a symbol of the featuring boxer's strong character played by Sylvester Stallone.

92. Ronan (Irish origin) meaning "little seal".

93. Roxy (American origin) meaning "dawn".

94. Storm (Old English origin) meaning "tempest".

95. Tempest (English origin) meaning "stormy".

96. Thor (Norse origin) meaning "God of thunder".

97. Tyrion (Latin origin) meaning "rock," from Tyrion Lannister in 'Game Of Thrones'.

98. Wade (Anglo-Saxon English origin) meaning "to-go" is a name popularly known after the comical superhero 'Deadpool'.

99. Xavier (Basque origin) meaning "new house" is quite a classic name with biblical reference. This name is also considered one of the badass boy names after its association with Charles Xavier from the 'X-Men' movies.

100. Zeke (English, Hebrew origin) meaning "God strengthens" is a short form for Ezekiel.

Kidadl has lots more names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for badass boy names then why not take a look at our list for badass last names and quirky boys names beginning with "q", or for something different take a look at these non-binary names.

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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