Fairly popular a hundred years ago but out of sight now, the quirky Roscoe deserves a place on every adventurous baby-namer's long list. It joins Rufus, Roman, Remy, Romulus, and Ray as one of the R names that sound fresh again after too many years of Robert, Richard, and Ronald.

Originally a place and surname, Roscoe had its glory days in the 1880s, when it reached as high as Number 138, then gradually declined, possibly damaged by the scandals surrounding silent star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and then the hillbilly image it acquired thanks to Sheriff Coltrane on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Roscoe has been out of the Top 1000 since 1978.

Trivia tidbit: The R in Edward R. Murrow stands for Roscoe; the distinguished newsman's first name was really Egbert.