This Aggressive Baby Name Trend Is 'Alarming' Experts
Some parents draw baby name inspiration from sources like family history, geography or even their favorite foods and brands. Others look to literature, music and pop culture. Still others get ideas from a more surprising source: weapons.
“There is a small but noticeable trend of parents using weapons-inspired ― and, more broadly, aggressive ― names for their sons,” Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief at the website Nameberry, told HuffPost. “Many of these names first appeared on the baby name charts in the 2000s, including Wesson, Caliber, Shooter and Trigger.”
Weapon-inspired monikers that parents have chosen in recent years also include Blade and Cannon, as well as brand-related names like Remington, Colt, Ruger and Winchester. Arson, Cutter and Dagger are among the other names with a violent edge in recent data from the Social Security Administration.
“Most of these names peaked in use relatively recently — Wesson in 2021 when it was used 306 times, Caliber in 2018 with 24 uses, Mace in 2022 with 64 uses, Dagger in 2022 with 13 uses,” Kihm noted. “It’s hard to say if these names have truly peaked in use or if some will go on to greater use, but I don’t think we’re past this trend yet!”
Abby Sandel, the creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain, believes the trend will evolve over time.
“That initial wave of names borrowed from gun manufacturers has probably peaked, but we’re still hearing plenty of choices in this category,” she said. “The most popular names now are a little more subtle. Archer once referred to a soldier who fought with a bow, but it sounds preppy and polished in 2025. Likewise, Barrett is a sophisticated surname that also happens to be a firearms manufacturer.”
Why are parents drawn to these kinds of names?
According to the experts, various factors are driving this baby name trend.
“There’s a certain set of parents that believe weapons-inspired names have a renegade spirit, which has been a rising theme among today’s trendy baby names,” Kihm noted. “Maverick ranks higher than ever, and cowboy-style names like Dutton, Stetson and Boone are climbing the charts.”
So, many parents may be thinking of weapon names in the same way as cowboy-related ones.
“It’s easy to imagine Boone and Wesson or Shooter and Stetson being brothers,” Kihm said.
Another potential influence is that many weapon-related names resemble ― or in fact are ― surnames as well.
“‘Last names as first names’ are a stylish category for baby names, with English surnames most likely to be adopted as given names,” Kihm explained. “Popular last names as first names include Carter, Parker and Hunter — itself somewhat aggressive ― which match weapon names like Shooter, Trigger and Dagger, with the two syllables and ‘er’ endings.”
Similarly, Wesson sounds a lot like Weston, which has recently ranked among the SSA’s top 100 baby names for boys.
For some parents, the appeal of such names may also be tied up in conservative values around gender or guns.
BabyNames.com founder Jennifer Moss believes some parents are drawn to weapon names for their sons because they feel “threatened” by recent cultural shifts toward broader acceptance of gender identities and expressions outside the traditional gender binary.
“Assigning these overly violent names might be a reaction to the fear that their son might have less-than-masculine traits,” she said. “So these parents assign a dictionary word name that has been traditionally associated with aggression or strength, hoping to instill those characteristics into their male offspring.”
“Weapons-inspired names convey masculinity without being traditional male names,” Kihm added. “They are at once undeniably masculine and extremely modern. We associate weapons with men and masculinity, so these parents might have more conservative values around gender.”
She pointed to Nameberry’s analysis of “The Reddest and Bluest Baby Names,” which found that parents living in so-called red states are more likely to choose gun-themed names for their children.
“In our study, we identified Gunner ― notably spelled with an ‘er,’ which differentiates it from the Scandinavian Gunnar ― as the ninth ‘reddest’ name for boys in the U.S.,” Kihm said.
Parents in red states are also known to choose names that evoke romanticized imagery of rural life, which can include farming occupations and weaponry. There’s a general interest in names that signal strength and independence as well.
“Some of the most obvious choices are clearly more popular in red states,” Sandel said. “Think Maverick or Walker ― the fictional Texas lawman of television fame. That’s true for weapons-related names, too. You’re more likely to meet a newborn Remington or Gatlin in Texas or Alabama, rather than California or Maryland.”
What do baby name experts think of this trend?
“It’s rare for me to outright reject a name or name trend, but I cannot get behind weapon-inspired names,” Kihm said. “They glamorize violence and, particularly in the wake of so much violence in the U.S., feel out of touch. In name consulting, I’ve never encountered a parent who wants to use these names, but I would advise any client against it.”
Moss noted that parents have been using dictionary words as names for their children for centuries, pointing to examples like Faith and Angel, as well as occupation-based picks like Mason and Thatcher. But she emphasized the importance of being cognizant of the meanings of these kinds of names and the public association with them.
“I find the weapon names particularly alarming because it’s tying your child to an instrument of destruction or death ― or at the least a word that’s associated with violence,” Moss said. “Another reason not to use a name with an immediately identifiable meaning is that it can become a joke. People’s first response might be to laugh at it, or assume that you do belong to a particular culture that favors weaponry or violence. It comes with baggage.”
Not every weapon-related name carries the exact same meaning or weight, however.
“It’s just like any other category in naming ― it’s great to honor what we love and value, but the name has to leave space for our child to become their own person,” Sandel said. “So, yes to Remington or Archer. A cautious maybe to Gatlin and Gunner. But Beretta? I think that crosses a line.”
Although distinctive names can be great, she noted that Beretta is both uncommon as a given name and immediately recognizable for its association with weapons, lending it an aggressive feel that might be a burden on a child.
Still, Sandel added that the weapon trend is consistent with an overall shift in the baby name sphere. After generations of parents sticking to familiar names for their sons while taking a more daring approach for their daughters, there’s finally a little more creativity in the realm of boy names.
“Weapons-related names are novel, but so are lots of name categories we’re exploring for boys now,” Sandel said. “If that means we have a few Remingtons mixed in with boys named Bodhi, Onyx and Ellis, I think that’s part of figuring out what it means to name our sons for the 2020s and beyond.”
However creative you want to be with your children’s names, it’s important to remember that parents are naming future adults.
“We recommend that when choosing baby names, check your personal fears and biases before you instill them into your baby’s name,” Moss said. “As most parents come to realize, our expectations for our child don’t necessarily align with the child’s individual identity. Give your child a name that evokes positivity, that will grow with them and they can make their own instead of conforming to your expectations.”
