Many people, when they think of a horse, think of strength and power. They are the animal upon whose backs many nations rose to power over the centuries.
The horse is so strong and powerful, when the motor was invented they use “horsepower” as the term for the measure of its strength. These strong horse names are great for when you want people to remember the powerful effect they had on history.
There are many different places we can draw on for horse names. We can look at names that mean power or powerful and names that mean strength or strong.
We can also look to history, both famous horses and famous people throughout the ages that have become synonymous with those terms as well. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Top 10 Strong Horse Names
- Bucephalus – famous mount of Alexander the Great and one of the most famous war horses.
- Comanche – heralded as the only survivor in the Battle of Little Big Horn.
- Hidalgo – while the story of Hidalgo is mostly based on legend, the 2004 film made this little paint horse the subject of discussion in many households. Whether or not he truly existed, the story tells the tale of a paint horse who could win against purebred Arabians in a demanding long-distance endurance race.
- Marengo – famous mount of Napoleon and another very famous war horse. This is the white horse you will often see when viewing painting s of Napoleon.
- Pegasus – what horse name is more strong or powerful than Pegasus, the famed winged horse of Greek Mythology. Immortality and the ability to fly are pretty strong features if you ask me!
- Sargent Reckless – This legendary mare isn’t as well known as the others on the list but she is very much deserving. She carried ammunition and first aid supplies back and forth to soldiers on a live battlefield, most often without any assistance. She is one of the most decorated war horses, and a mare to boot!
- Secretariat – when many think of strength and power in horses, speed is naturally thought of as the result. Secretariat has forever etched a place in our hearts. His speed and prowess on the race track earns his place on this list.
- Shadowfax – referred to as the lord of horses for the people of Middle-earth, this horse could run faster than the wind, exhibited bravery in battle and had seemingly unending strength even over great distances.
- Tornado – the black horse famously ridden by Zorro. Whether you watched on TV as I did, or read the books, it was fun to revel in how Tornado proudly carried Zorro while fighting fights and righting wrongs.
- Traveller – These days many people know of Traveller as the mascot horse for USC however, fewer still know that Traveller was the famed horse of General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War. General Lee rode Traveller in many battles.
Famously Powerful Horses of Mythology
- Arion – a Pegasus like horse in Greek mythology that could speak.
- Balius – one of two immortal horse gifted by Poseidon to the hero Peleus
- Gringolet – the mount of Sir Gawain
- Tulpar – a winged horse in Turk mythology.
- Uchchaihshravas – a seven headed flying horse from Hindu mythology.
- Veillantif – ridden by Roland the paladin of French legend (source)
- Xanthus – one of two immortal horses gifted by Poseidon to the hero Peleus
Apollo’s Four Horses
The greek god Apollo had four horses he would utilize to pull the sun across the sky. As you can imagine, the Ancient Greeks knew that moving the sun was no easy feat. In order to do so, Apollo had to rely on the strength and power of his four steeds. They were names:
- Aethon
- Eous
- Phlegon
- Pyrois
Horse Names Derived from Gods and Goddesses
Speaking of strength, power, and mythology. A perfectly powerful horse name can be one derived from ancient times. Let’s have a look at some good ones.
Let’s first have a look at strong female horse names.
- Athena – Goddess of Wisdom (Greek)
- Gaea – mother of the earth (Greek)
- Hera – Queen of the Gods (Greek)
- Juno – Queen of the Gods (Roman)
- Maia – goddess of the mountain (Greek)
- Minerva – Goddess of Wisdom (Roman)
- Phoebe – goddess of the moon/intellect (Greek)
- Tethys – mother of the sea (Greek)
Next up, strong male horse names.
- Ares – god of war (Greek)
- Atlas – god that holds the sky (Greek)
- Heracles – son of Zeus (Greek)
- Hercules – son of Zeus (Roman)
- Jupiter – king of the gods (Roman)
- Mars – god of war (Roman)
- Neptune – god of the sea (Roman)
- Poseidon – god of the sea (Greek)
- Uranus – god of the sky (Greek)
- Zeus – king of the gods (Greek)
25 Strong and Powerful Female Horse Names
It seems that most of the time when we think of strong names, they feel more masculine. That isn’t always the case though. These horse names are perfect for the powerful mare in your herd.
- Ada – after Ada Lovelace the mathemetician and the world’s first computer programmer (source)
- Adira – means strong in Hebrew
- Alsie – means “strong-willed” in Greek.
- Amelia – after Amelia Earhart
- Anne – after Anne Frank for the strength she displayed.
- Arwen – from Lord of the Rings fame.
- Asta – means “divine strength” in Greek.
- Audrey – means “noble strength”, also cause Audry Hepburn!
- Bridget – meaning “strength” in Gaelic
- Catherine – after Catherine the Great
- Daenerys – of Game of Thrones fame – mother of dragons
- Diomedes – after the Mares of Diomedes
- Ellen – a woman whose strength and power comes from her ability to use her voice for good
- June – after June Osborne – lead character in Handmaids Tale.
- Juno – the Roman Goddess and wife of Jupiter.
- Hermione – after Hermione Granger from Harry Potter legend.
- Melisande – means “strong in work”
- Maya – to honor Maya Angelou
- Oprah – a woman so powerful, the world knows her by just her first name.
- Reckless – after the famous warhorse, Seargent Reckless, who was a mare!
- Rosa – to honor Rosa Parks
- Sally – I’m not talking mustang Sally here, I’m talking Sally Ride, the astronaut, physicist and first American woman in space.
- Trudy – means “spear of strength”
- Valentina – after Valentina Tereshkova, the first and youngest woman in space.
- Valerie – means “strength”
25 Strong and Powerful Male Horse Names
When I think of names for strong and powerful geldings and stallions, the first thing that comes to mind are warriors and royalty. Whether originating from fact or fiction. Here are some good ideas along those lines.
- Alexander – after Alexander the Great
- Aragorn – famous king from Lord of the Rings
- Arthur – as in King Arthur
- Aslan – of Chronicles of Narnia fame.
- Attila – after Attila the Hun
- Caesar – after Julius Caesar
- Chuck – as in Chuck Norris
- Ethan – as in Ethan Hunt from Mission: Impossible
- Galahad – after Sir Galahad
- Gawain – one of the knights of the round table
- Genghis – after Genghis Khan
- John – after John Wick
- Jon – as in Jon Snow – from Game of Thrones fame.
- Khan – after Genghis Khan
- Lancelot – the famous knight
- Maximus – from the Gladiator movie
- McClane – after John McClane in the Die Hard series
- Mordred – the villain of Arthurian legend.
- Mufasa – after the great king from the Lion King
- Percival – one of the knights of the round table.
- Perseus – the great warrior who was able to slay Medusa
- Tristan – one fo the knights of the round table.
- Wallace – after William Wallace
- Wick – as in John Wick
- William – after William Wallace
32 Horse Names that Mean Big or Strong
To finish up the list of names, here are a few that mean big or strong.
- Alaska
- Athena
- Bandit
- Bear
- Blaze
- Brawny (I mean have you seen the Brawny guy!)
- Butch
- Clifford (great for a chestnut horse)
- Diesel
- Duke
- Goliath
- Harley (for a mare or gelding)
- Hulk
- Hunter
- Justice (for a mare or gelding)
- Katniss
- Mack
- Magnum
- Mammoth
- Marmaduke (great for a buckskin horse)
- Medusa
- Moose
- Rambo
- Sheba
- Storm
- Tank
- Tex (as big as Texas)
- Thor
- Titan
- Whopper
- Wolf
- Xena
- Yukon
Whether you or looking for a strong horse name or a powerful horse name, or perhaps one that fits the bill for both traits, remember that there are a variety of different ways to decide.
The name doesn’t have to be famous or historical. It can be the name of the kid from Elementary school that had the strength to stand up to bullies, a teacher that helped you with your homework or the friend with the resolve to fight through a difficult time.
Strength is something that doesn’t have to be physical. It can be mental or emotional as well. Be sure to keep that in mind when choosing a strong and powerful name!
