Sebastian is an ancient martyr's name turned literary, and Little Mermaid hero—think Sebastian the Crab—that's more popular than ever, as a classic-yet-unconventional compatriot for fellow British favorites T Theodore and Oliver.

In this form, or as Sebastian or as Bas, Bastien is a fashionable Euro name with a possible future in America.

Spartacus is the famous name of an ancient Roman slave -- and star of his own eponymous TV series! -- who led a slave revolt and became a renowned gladiator, only to die in the ring. Not considered baby-appropriate for centuries, Spartacus just might rise again along with the names of his fellow gladiators.

Urban was not an uncommon name through the 1930s (rising as high as Number 435), having been attached to several saints and early popes, but it has completely disappeared from the landscape--both urban and rural. Yet in this era of word name appreciation and trend for 'an'-ending boys' names, we're thinking it might be ready for a return.

This stuffy English surname and hotel name took on Twilight cool when attached to vampire Carlisle Cullen. Inspired by the character, it's more popular in this spelling than as Carlyle and more widely used for boys than for girls.

Bas is a fashionable name in its own right in the Netherlands, where it's been in the Top 10. Used throughout Europe, it may have a future here as a straightforward-but-charming nickname name. Baz is another, similar and more appealing possibility.

The least used of the Three Wise Men's names, but a strong option for bold namers to consider.

Carlisle is more popular than Carlyle for both genders, and in both spellings more widely used for boys than for girls. It's a name we see on the rise in either spelling.

Seppo has two separate Finnish origins. The first is as a nickname for Sebastian, a name used widely across Europe. The second version is derived from the Finnish word seppä, meaning "smith."

This Swedish form of Sebastian would work nicely as a nickname.

Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year in the US.

French form of Urban or Urbanus, borne by eight popes.

The full name of baseball great Ty Cobb and now the name of a popular board game, this name gained popularity due to its fashionable sounds – a combination of Tyrone and Cyrus. But it is also found in the King James Bible as a place name, the city of Tyre in modern-day Lebanon, whose name derives from the Phonecian word for "rock".

Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think Carlisle (or Carlyle) has the potential to be the next Carter.

Similar to but distinct from Samara, this pretty name was chosen for his daughter by rapper LL Cool J. It's the name of an ancient Palestinian city, located in present-day Jordan, and is associated with the Biblical story of "The Good Samaritan" who came from Samaria. Derived from shamar meaning "to guard" this name was chosen for 100 girls in 2023 in the US.

Variation of Carlisle used as a surname in the anime series Beyblade Burst Evolution.

Medina commonly refers to a city in Saudi Arabia where the prophet Muhammad began his work to establish Islam. It is considered the second holiest city in Islamic tradition, and is also known as The Luminous City, The Enlightened City, and The City of the Prophet.

Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year in the US.

Though the usual U.S. spelling is Sterling, this is the authentic Scottish family name version.