Names to Honor the Military?

General Name Discussion
1

This is possibly a weird thing to look for in names, but I come from an [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force family–my grandpa, dad, and two of my siblings are all [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force veterans (my sister still serves), and I have lots of great grandfathers and great uncles who were [name_m]Army[/name_m] before the [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force was established in late 1940s. It’s one aspect of my family I’m so incredibly proud of, and would love to be able to honor it in some way. So far I’m thinking about [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] and [name_u]Finley[/name_u]–their respective meanings “noble strength” and “fair warrior” sort of symbolize my two siblings’ service to me–and maybe [name_u]March[/name_u], but I’m not sure where else to look for inspiration, honestly. Maybe [name_u]Ari[/name_u] names ([name_u]Ari[/name_u] [name_m]Forester[/name_m]/[name_u]Ari[/name_u] [name_m]Forest[/name_m]? for a boy?)? Any other ideas?

I’ve thought to take inspiration from some of their bases, but none of them have ever been very usable as names.

Thanks, Berries!

ETA: There’s always [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], too–the flower that’s a symbol of veterans–which I love, but as my father has become attached to the thought of being known as [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] by his grandkids, I’m not sure how realistic it is that I’ll ever be able to use it as a FN.

2

My grandfather was in the navy and I took the name [name_u]Meredith[/name_u] in my signature from the name of the ship he served on. I’m not so familiar with the [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force or the [name_m]Army[/name_m], but do the planes have names appropriate for a child? Of course there’s always the names of influential people in these organizations.

Sorry I couldn’t be more help. I hope this answer is at least of some use though!

3

That would have been an excellent idea, but no, aircraft don’t have usable names for the most part. They’re mainly a series of letters and numbers, although they do occasionally have names attached to them. I did a quick google search and there was some with [name_u]Douglas[/name_u], [name_m]Curtiss[/name_m], and [name_u]Elias[/name_u] attached (although that makes [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] [name_u]Elias[/name_u] [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] feel a bit more significant!), but I feel like nobody would really be able to recognize that that was why it was in their honor.

I could look into influential USAF people, though–that’s a good point!

I’m also wondering about [name_u]Avi[/name_u]- names–there’s an AF base in [name_f]Italy[/name_f] called Aviano, and avião is the Portuguese word for “airplane” (un avion in [name_m]French[/name_m]. I’m not really sure about other languages–I just speak [name_m]French[/name_m] and Portuguese). I’ve heard of [name_f]Avis[/name_f]/[name_f]Aviana[/name_f], too. Maybe that’s something to look into.

4

On this list I found some rather usable [name_f]Air[/name_f] Forece Base names, apart from that, I don’t have any ideas yet but I’ll think some more about it.
Here’s the list: List of United States Air Force installations - Wikipedia

5

[name_f]Audrey[/name_f], [name_u]Finley[/name_u], [name_u]March[/name_u], and [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] are great ideas! My first thought was not names that mean strengh, etc. but actually those words:

[name_f]Honor[/name_f]
[name_m]Valor[/name_m]
[name_m]Noble[/name_m]
[name_u]True[/name_u]
[name_f]Liberty[/name_f]
Brave/[name_m]Bravery[/name_m]
[name_m]Victor[/name_m]/[name_f]Victoria[/name_f]

I know they are not directly tied to the [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force, but they work to honor anyone who serves courageously for their country.

6

Reveille? The bugle sound it means ‘wake up’. I’m not sure what branch of the military but it’s certainly tied to military.

7

I think this is lovely and it’s been on my list for a while!

What about a bird/flight related name?
[name_u]Robin[/name_u], [name_f]Lark[/name_f], [name_u]Finch[/name_u], [name_u]Wren[/name_u], [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m]
Meaning [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]: [name_m]Adler[/name_m], [name_f]Aquila[/name_f], [name_m]Orel[/name_m], [name_m]Andor[/name_m], [name_m]Arnold[/name_m], [name_f]Arletta[/name_f]
[name_u]Corbin[/name_u] (means [name_u]Raven[/name_u])
[name_f]Yara[/name_f] (means sea bird)

8

Any of these? War hero baby names in honor of Memorial Day – SheKnows

I was also thinking of Reveille. [name_f]Reverie[/name_f] also stemmed from that.
Names that mean “[name_m]Army[/name_m]”
[name_f]Harlow[/name_f]
[name_f]Armina[/name_f]
[name_m]Luther[/name_m]
[name_m]Rainer[/name_m]
Or names that have a meaning of “air”/“wind” as they are in the [name_f]Air[/name_f] force
[name_f]Aria[/name_f]
[name_f]Sefarina[/name_f]
Names that have imagery of the sky
[name_f]Azure[/name_f]
[name_u]Skye[/name_u]/[name_u]Skylar[/name_u]
[name_f]Solana[/name_f] - Means sunshine
[name_u]Neil[/name_u] - Means cloud
Other Ideas…
[name_u]Zephyr[/name_u] - Greek god of the west wind

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] these help. Good luck :slight_smile:

9

[name_f]Polly[/name_f], I’ll look at AF bases soon! It seems weird to use one that I have no ties to (and neither did my family), but it seems like a fairly obvious option.

[name_f]Emma[/name_f], I love the idea of those virtue names! I once read a novel about a PJ, too, and the novel was called [name_u]True[/name_u] [name_m]Valor[/name_m], so that especially seems to tie into the [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force to me. I love Brave, but mainly consider it with “L” names to honor my grandfather (who was LB–no actual name, just two initials). [name_f]Honor[/name_f], [name_m]Valor[/name_m], and Brave have been added to the list!

@theirishsaint - thank you! Reveille almost seems too word-ish to me, and I’m not sure if Reveille is played on AF bases, but it might be something similar. I’ll keep it on the backburner. If I could find the right combo it might really work, but it feels a bit too wordy to me right now.

@kala_way - thanks! My grandma LOVED birds, though, so instead of reminding me of military service they just remind me of my grandma (also a nice honor, but just not as focused on the military honoring).

@xmintiex - I love the idea of [name_u]Zephyr[/name_u]! I had been thinking of [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_u]Zephyr[/name_u] before I even made the connection, but that makes it even more cool to me. I’ll have to check out that link you posted!

10

Maybe initials that are military acronyms?

11

Here are the names of some famous USAF veterans:

[name_m]Buzz[/name_m] Aldrin
[name_m]Carlos[/name_m] [name_u]Ray[/name_u] [name_u]Norris[/name_u] “[name_m]Chuck[/name_m]”
[name_m]Edmund[/name_m] [name_u]Hillary[/name_u]
[name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] [name_m]Cochran[/name_m]
[name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Meredith[/name_u] (the civil rights activist)
[name_m]John[/name_m] R. [name_m]Cash[/name_m] “[name_m]Johnny[/name_m]”
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_m]Freeman[/name_m]
[name_m]Paul[/name_m] [name_m]Newman[/name_m]
[name_m]Prince[/name_m] [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_u]Windsor[/name_u] “[name_m]Harry[/name_m]”
[name_m]Prince[/name_m] [name_m]William[/name_m] [name_u]Windsor[/name_u]
[name_u]Rex[/name_u] [name_m]Harrison[/name_m]
[name_m]Ronald[/name_m] [name_u]Reagan[/name_u]
[name_m]Thornton[/name_m] [name_m]Wilder[/name_m]

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this is helpful!

12

How inventive! I’d just have to pick an acronym. All I’ve got right now is PJ (parajumper/pararescue), AFB (Air Force Base), USAF (US Air Force; too long for a combo, though–I won’t go over two middles!), but I could look into more. Or maybe even names related to the military alphabet (alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot, etc.)? I like Charlie, Echo, India, Juliet, Oscar, Sierra… Could India be usable in this scenario? I know some find India offensive, and I certainly don’t want to offend anyone (which is why Cohen is also not on my list, but I don’t want to open that can of worms!), but I’ve loved it as a GP for years now.

@veritysilver - I’ve also been thinking about Freeman (or Freedom?)–could it be usable as a FN? I like the idea of Free (or Dom) as a nn.

13

I love this thread! What a beautiful way to honor the people in your life that have served. What about these?

Girls:
[name_f]Honor[/name_f]
[name_f]Liberty[/name_f]
[name_f]Aria[/name_f] - means [name_f]Air[/name_f] in Italian
[name_f]Alessia[/name_f] - Defending warrior
[name_f]Kacie[/name_f] - Vigilant in war
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] (as in [name_f]Earhart[/name_f])
[name_f]Malaya[/name_f] nn. [name_f]Laya[/name_f] - [name_u]Free[/name_u] (because of those who fought)

Boys:
[name_m]Kane[/name_m] - Warrior
[name_u]Carlin[/name_u] - [name_m]Little[/name_m] Champion
[name_m]Nolan[/name_m] - Champion
[name_m]Conlan[/name_m] - [name_u]Hero[/name_u]
Airlie - Scottish name
[name_m]Fergus[/name_m] - [name_m]Man[/name_m] of force
[name_m]Charles[/name_m] - [name_u]Free[/name_u] [name_m]Man[/name_m] (because of those who fought before him)

14

What is the kid’s last initial? You could use that as a starting point to find the correct acronym. You could potentially use some of the phonetic alphabet letters for a middle name. Foxtrot, Kilo, and Lima are not traditionally people’s’ names, but could work well as a word-based middle name.

15

Lol, I know someone whose initials are [name_f]MIA[/name_f]. It was not done on purpose. She gets the “missing in action” joke quite frequently. I wouldn’t recommend it, as it is obviously not the most positive military acronym.

I am glad you liked some of my suggestions:D I think L.B. initials idea to honor your grandpa is wonderfully sweet!

16

[name_u]McKinley[/name_u] - [name_m]Son[/name_m] of the hero (useable for a girl too)
[name_u]Dustin[/name_u] - Brave Warrior
[name_m]Gunner[/name_m] - Bold warrior
[name_m]Archy[/name_m] - Brave + reference to movie “Gallipoli” in which the main character [name_m]Archy[/name_m] fought in world war l
[name_m]Thorin[/name_m] - Brave , daring one
[name_u]Baldwin[/name_u] - Brave friend

My favourite for you is [name_u]McKinley[/name_u]. It works for both genders and it really is a homage as they are the son of a hero.

17

@wittyusername103 - thank you! [name_u]McKinley[/name_u] I can’t find too much info on, and Mc- names aren’t generally my style, but [name_u]McKinley[/name_u] is rather nice. It reminds me of Mt. [name_u]McKinley[/name_u]/[name_u]Denali[/name_u] in [name_f]Alaska[/name_f]. I also am intrigued by [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m], and I’m loving [name_m]Thor[/name_m] names right now (Torben, [name_m]Torsten[/name_m], [name_m]Thorin[/name_m], [name_m]Thor[/name_m], Tollak), so [name_m]Thorin[/name_m] is a maybe. I love that it reminds me of [name_m]Thor[/name_m] (my favorite superhero!) and LotR!

@emmamay - haha, yeah, probably not the best acronym! POW, too, for that matter. :frowning: I would love to honor my grandpa but I can never seem to find an LB combination I like! I’m sort of tossing around [name_m]Leo[/name_m] [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] Brave right now, but I’m not sure I’m too keen on it. I want to use [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] as a MN, but I like other fns with [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] as a middle more. I had almost committed to [name_m]Linus[/name_m] [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] Brave, or [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]Lewis[/name_m] [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m]/[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]Lion[/name_m] [name_m]Brahms[/name_m] a bit back, but nothing ever seems to stick. I’m also thinking about [name_f]Lena[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] for a girl, but I don’t know if I’d use just [name_f]Lena[/name_f], either. :confused:

@kmdharrington - not expecting, just brainstorming for the future. My surname starts with an “R”, but unless I adopt when I’m still single, it’s highly unlikely my children will carry on my surname. :slight_smile:

@knnames - thank you! I was afraid most wouldn’t like the thread, although I’m not sure why. [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] variants are a good idea! I do like the idea of [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], but my great-grandma was [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], actually, so if I used [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] (I still might!) it would more be for her honor and not the veterans in my family. It just seems more tailored to her than to them. I am intrigued by [name_m]Conlan[/name_m], which I hadn’t considered until now–which also reminds me of another name I love–[name_u]Hero[/name_u]! It was used on a girl in one of [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s plays, and I think it’s just divine. I wouldn’t have the guts to use it up front, but I do love it as a middle. :slight_smile:

Thank you for all the ideas, everyone! [name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to keep them coming. So far [name_u]Hero[/name_u], [name_f]Honor[/name_f], [name_m]Valor[/name_m], military acronyms, and the military alphabet names are my favorites, but I’m open to hearing more options if anyone has any suggestions. :slight_smile:

18

I thought of one more - [name_m]Valor[/name_m] or [name_f]Valorie[/name_f]. :smiley:

19

Has no one suggested [name_m]Jett[/name_m]/[name_u]Jet[/name_u] yet? That to me would make the most sense if you wanted to honor the [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force. [name_m]John[/name_m] Travolta used it for his son as a nod to his passion for flying.