Philip

Philip, the name of one of the twelve apostles, is still favored by parents in search of a solid boys' classic that is less neutral than Robert or John and more distinctive than Daniel or Matthew and has many historic, royal ties.

Famous bearers include Saint Philip, one of the twelve Apostles, King Philip the Great, who was the father of Alexander the Great, plus there have been numerous other French and Spanish rulers named Philip.

Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh, though, Philip has a certain built-in reserve, somewhat straight and staid.

When it comes to nicknames, you're not limited to the midcentury Phil--more lively ones include Pip and Flip.

Model Eva Herzigova named her baby Philip--which can also be spelled Phillip--in fact that is the slightly preferred spelling, ranking 28 places higher.

Some other modern Philip namesakes are writer Roth, actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, architect Johnson and composer Glass.

Philip comes via Latin from the Greek and was a name Top 100 choice for a century, before fading in the 1980s. In literature, Philip Pirrip is the full name of Pip from Great Expectations, and other Philips appear in the novels of Jane Austen, George Eliot and Thackeray--not to mention Raymond Chandler's detective Philip Marlowe.