BABY NAMES
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40 Very Vibrant Boy Names That Start With V
Unique names full of vitality!
by Jamie Kenney
Naming a baby can be somewhat overwhelming, and sometimes it helps to narrow down your baby name options, at least to start. So why not begin near the end of the alphabet with boy names that start with “V”? While there may not be too many “V” boy names that spring immediately to mind, there are actually quite a few out there that I know you’re going to love.
Fun fact: the “V” is not exactly a universal letter; many languages don’t have a “v” sound, so the names on this list largely come from Indo-European and Slavic languages. But I think this only adds to the appeal, as it makes for unique boy names for you to consider.
I’ll admit it: a lot of these “V” names for boys come from the same root, either in Romance or Slavic languages (get ready for a lot of names that mean “strong” or “glory”), but I’m genuinely impressed how one root can yield so many beautiful, unique names, each with their own special vibe. From Wales to Italy, Russia to India (and yes, some names that appear to have found their start in the good ol’ United States of America), generations of creative baby namers have zjouzjed up different versions of similar names for a vast variety of very vital V names for boys. (See what I did there?)
1
Vikram
Linguists aren’t precisely clear on the etymology of Vikram, an Indian name, but they generally agree it means something along the lines of “one who is brave, strong, and victorious.”
2
Victor
Synonymous with “winner” or “conqueror,” the Latin name Victor is perfect for your little champion.
3
Vincent
The name Vincent comes from the same Latin root word from whence we get Victor and similarly means “to conquer.”
4
Vito
Best known as the name of Vito “Godfather” Corleone in The Godfather, this strong Italian name means “life” and is a pretty stellar boy name that starts with “V.”
5
Vale
A unisex English name, Vale is an antiquated or poetic word for a valley.
6
Valen
Another great unisex name hits the rare combination of “unique” but also “easy to spell and pronounce,” Valen is derived from Latin and means “healthy and strong.”
7
Valentino
In the era of silent films, Rudolph Valentino (real name: Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla *phew*) was an icon, a status that persists to this day. The name Valentino has become synonymous with romantic appeal and old Hollywood glamour.
8
Vincenzo
This Italian version of the classic “Vincent” has a built in totally rad nickname: Enzo! Vincenzo just sounds so strong as a boy name that starts with “V.”
9
Van
A modern name of unclear origin, Van could be short for the surname Vance, short for Evan or Ivan, or just kind of its own thing! Whatever the origin, it definitely has a cool kid vibe.
10
Vihaan
This classic Indian name of Vihaan is strong, beautiful, and has a beautiful meaning: sunrise.
11
Valery
While “Valerie” may strike many as a “girl name,” Valery has historically skewed male and began as a surname. It comes from the same root as Valen and means “healthy and strong.”
12
Vaughn
This surname of Vaughn comes from the Welsh word bychan and means “small,” which means actor Vince Vaughn’s name roughly means “little conqueror”!
13
Vladimir
When it comes to Russian boy names, it doesn’t get any more classic than Vladimir, which in Slavic roughly translates to “powerful ruler.” This is definitely a traditional boy name that starts with “V.”
14
Virgil
Coming from the Roman clan name Vergilius, the name Virgil means “flourishing” and is perhaps most famously attributed to the poet who wrote the Aeneid.
15
Vance
Another last-name-first-name, Vance is an English name that means “marshland.”
16
Vincenti
Pronounced “vin-CHEN-tee,” this Italian form of Vincent, Vincenti, is a great twist on a classic.
17
Valentin
This “strong and healthy” name of Valentin is perfect for your little sweetheart (see what I did). Dropping the “e” changes the pronunciation from the more classic “Valentine” to “val-en-TEEN.”
18
Vander
A shortened version of the Greek name “Evander,” this “V” boy name of Vander means “good man.”
19
Valerio
This very Roman sounding “V” name for boys, Valerio, means “to be strong.” If you wanted, you could use either “Val” or “Rio” as a nickname.
20
Viggo
This Norse name of Viggo means “battle,” and was granted to the fictional “Viggo the Carpathian” of Ghostbusters II and the very real Viggo Mortensen of Lord of the Rings.
21
Vernon
The name Vernon dates back to the days of Ancient France (back when it was called Gaul) and means “alder tree.”
22
Vanya
Vanya is a nickname for the classic Russian name Ivan (sort of like how Mikey is for Michael) and means “God is gracious.”
23
Vasily
The Slavic form of the Greek name Basil, Vasily (also spelled Vasili) means “royal” or “kingly.”
24
Václav
A Czech name meaning “more glory,” this unique “V” name of Václav is sometimes translated into English as Wenceslaus, as in the good king we sing about at Christmastime. (Incidentally, St. Václav is the patron of the Czech Republic.)
25
Vidal
Vidal is a boy “V” name that means “life” and is probably most famously attributed to Vidal Sassoon, who not only made a name for himself creating iconic hairstyles for decades of movie stars, he also fought Nazis and fascists on the home-front in England during World War II.
26
Vyacheslav
Pronounced “vee-ECH-eh-slav,” this strong Russian name of Vyacheslav means “greater glory.”
27
Verlyn
No one seems to know where this unique “V” boy name of Verlyn comes from, which means someone probably just came up with it independently, but it’s giving powerful wizard.
28
Vern
I dig Vern, this shortened version of Vernon, which also means “alder tree.”
29
Varrick
This Germanic name of Varrick means “leader who defends.” (It’s also the name of a street in Manhattan, though in that case it’s spelled with one R.)
30
Vijay
A lot of the “V” names for boys on this list come from the Latin word meaning “victory,” and this Indian name of Vijay highlights the fact that Indian and European languages are more often than not drawn from the same primordial well. Vijay also means “victory.”
31
Vittorio
Judging from this list, it would seem that Italians are all about boy names that begin with “V.” And, like many on this list, Vittorio means “victory.”
32
Voltaire
I think Voltaire, the surname of the famous French writer and philosopher, is a unique “V” name for a little genius.
33
Vlatislav
In Slavic languages, “slav” is a common element of a given name that means “glory.” Vlatislav is pretty straight forward and means “one who owns glory” or “famous.”
34
Vaemond
Look, is Vaemond a Game of Thrones name? Yes. Is it dope? Also yes. Was the character cool? Not especially, but the name really is and the character is minor enough so that you can probably get away with it.
35
Valerien
Another nice spin on the Valen- names, Valerien has a similar classic vibe as Julian but with a unique “V” name twist. You could also spell it Valyrian if you want another Game of Thrones connection.
36
Vanek
This Czech name of Vanek is another version of Václav and also means “more glory.”
37
Valiant
The baby boy name Valiant as in “Prince Valiant!” I kind of dig it!
38
Vulcan
In Roman mythology, Vulcan was the god of fire, blacksmithing, volcanoes, and the forge, equivalent to the Greek Hephaestus.
39
Varys
Is this another Game of Thrones name? Sort of! While a lot of people probably first encountered this name in the series, Varys is a name of Latin origin and means “bow-legged.” (Also, Varys was one of the best characters on the series so... not a bad choice in any case!)
40
Vivian
I know Vivian is a hard sell because, for some reason, once a name becomes associated with girls it stops getting used for boys (what a coincidence, that’s probably not at all misogyny...), but Vivian is traditionally unisex and maybe it’s time for boys to reclaim it!
Have a very fun time naming your baby boy with all of these “V” boy names. There are plenty to choose from, and so many different angles — romantic, traditional, international. Pick your favorite.
