If you’re working on a fictional piece and have a particularly badass male character in mind – whether or not he’s the lead – you’re likely looking for the perfect badass name to match your male character’s personality.
I’m going to start off by saying, there’s no way that I could ever cover all the good options when it comes to badass male character names in one article, so I’ll settle for trying my best to cover as many bases as possible, and hopefully if you don’t find what you’re looking for here, this list can at least set you off in the right direction and you’ll be able to find the perfect badass male name for your character after going down the rabbit hole of name ideas after seeing what I’ve listed here.
If you find the perfect name on this list – even better!
But whether I give you a good idea in the form of topics to research to help you on your quest to land just the right name, or if I give you a name recommendation that you think could use some tweaking to be just right for your fictional character, I’d still consider that a win as I’d have played a role in helping you find what you’re looking for.
When it comes to badass names for male characters, in my opinion, there are a lot of directions you can go, and I honestly think the route you choose is likely to depend on the character you have in mind.
You could go in the direction of picking a name that’s personality based, for instance, or you could pick a name with a meaning something along the lines of “powerful” or “warrior.”
If you’re thinking of going in the direction of picking a name that has something to do with your character’s personality, the first question to ask yourself is: what type of personality is your male character going to have?
Is he brooding and mysterious, the type who doesn’t speak too much, but makes a huge impact when he finally does speak? Mysterious and unique sounding names like Sahir or Dewin might work for your character.
Is he super self-confident and what others would consider to be spontaneous, adventurous, fun, and pretty much the life of the party? More outgoing names like Archer or Jett may be a better fit.
Or if you’re looking for a more common name as he’s the outgoing jock type as well, Matt or Jason.
Are there any other personality traits that might make your character stand out that you can use to inspire his name choice? Leave these in the comments below, along with ideas you have for names that match those personality traits if you have any.
I’ve written up a lot of articles about names (cause I love naming things for some reason), and I do feel like personality is probably the perfect quality you could use to name someone or something after.
If I had to choose between outward appearance and personality to be the defining factor for a name – whether I’m naming a pet or a person, I’m definitely opting to name with personality inspiring the name in the vast majority of cases.
How can personality inspire a name? I’m not quite sure how it works for you, but for me, when I say a certain name, it somehow has a vibe to it that’s not related to the meaning of the word at all.
While the meaning of a name can add a cool backstory, or some interesting depth to a name, somehow it seems irrelevant to me on the topic of personality, at least a little bit.
Take for example the name “Blair” for a girl. Yes, if you’ve watched Gossip Girl like me, you probably immediately think of Blair Waldorf, a powerful, overachieving, self-made woman who’s a queen and a boss and yet still ever so in touch with her femininity.
And while we couldn’t say exactly what we’d feel about this name if you hadn’t watched Gossip Girl, chances are probably high, even if you didn’t watch this series or get to know Blair Waldorf over the 6 wonderful seasons the show aired for, you’d probably still get the same sort of vibe from the name “Blair” that you do knowing this character.
That’s what I mean about there just being something to a name, some sort of vibe, that sort of suggests a personality without even knowing a person, animal, or thing it’s attached to.
A lot of names are more flexible when it comes to how they can be perceived. I think “Blair” fits in with the majority of other unisex names that are chosen for girls, names like “Riley,” “Aspen,” “Alex,” and “Charlie,” insofar as they all seem to give me powerful vibes somehow.
But let’s take this example more into the male sphere, since you came here looking for male character names and so it’s better if I use examples that are more relevant to what you need.
Names like “Drake,” “Caspian,” “Ignatius,” and “Miguel” sound to me like bold, spicy names, which is why I mentioned them in my article on the same topic. There’s just something adventurous and outgoing about them, something that either screams, “life of the party” or “joie de vivre.”
When I think of badass names, I think of spicy names like this, but also variations of personalities that are badass. So I’ve broken down the sections of this article into personality traits you might have for your male characters and names I think might suit them, as well as a few different non-personality related name categories that I think might fit.
Let me know in the comments section what you think of these names. Do you like any? Can you think of more? Do you think any don’t fit? Have you found the perfect badass name for your male character?
Badass Male Character Names
Badass Names by Male Character Personality Traits
Names for Mysterious, Quiet Male Characters
- Aki
- Eric
- Jiro
- Kaede
- Kwan
- Sadaka
- Seiji
- Zhen
Male Names That Have “Mystery” or “Secret” as Part of Their Meaning
- Elam
- Godid
- Draca
- Guhya
- Israr
- Kereenyaga
- Olen
- Raziel
- Runo
- Ichtaka
- Rune
- Yamanu
Names for Adventurous, Outgoing Male Characters
- Rocco
- Kane
- Oberon
- Magnus
- Esteban
- Miguel
Names for Jocks & Sporty Male Characters
- Trey
- Hunter
- Brayden
- Tucker
- Cody
- Dirk
Name for Popular Male Characters
- Chad
- Bryce
- Kyle
- Brad
- Chet
- Brock
Badass Unisex Names for Male Characters
- Ace
- Alex
- Archer
- Avery
- Austen
- Bentley
- Beckett
- Brennon
- Callen
- Casey
- Carey
- Carlin
- Chandler
- Corey
- Dallas
- Dakota
- Darcy
- Dawson
- Devan
- Drew
- Erin
- Evan
- Frankie
- Gene
- Grayson
- Harper
- Jamie
- Kai
- Lane
- Lennon
Powerful Names for Male Characters That Have “Strength” as Part of Their Meaning
- Andrew
- Baldric
- Bernard
- Conall
- Egon
- Enzi
- Fermin
- Hariric
- Ikemba
- Kenji
- Mandla
Your Thoughts on Badass Male Character Names?
What do you think are some of the most badass names for male characters?
Are there more names you would include than were listed here?
Do you know the type of name you want to go for when it comes to the male character in your fictional piece? Do you have a specific name in mind? A number of names you’re trying to narrow down?
What’s your fictional piece like?
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
