Names That Mean Clan

Fabian is the ancient name of a saint and pope that also has Shakespearean cred as Olivia's servant in Twelfth Night and more recently made an appearance in Harry Potter. In the U.S. Fabian became best known via the 1960s teen idol/singer who went solely by his first name.

There are no less than ten different variations of Hailey on the current Most Popular list, but this is the spelling that brought it into the Top 10 of 2010, although it has recently dipped a bit in popularity. So, although Hailey has a shiny, unpretentious charm, its mass popularity makes it very much of the moment. Look for the Hailee spelling to rise via Hailee Steinfeld, the young actress Oscar-nominated for her performance in True Grit.

One of the few ancient Roman names that doesn't end in us, the rarely heard Tarquin has a decidedly creative, even dramatic flair, which could appeal to the parent looking for a strikingly original name. Sir Laurence Olivier used it for his oldest child, who was named Simon Tarquin but called by his middle name.

Caesar, the name of the greatest Roman of them all, is rarely used outside Latino families, where the Cesar spelling is preferred —as in activist Chavez and Dog Whisperer Millan. Its original meaning is debated — either "long-haired", "blue-gray" (as in eyes), or "cut" (because Julius Caesar was supposedly born by cesarian section) — it came to be the title to denote all Roman emperors and it is from the name Caesar that many other European royal titles are derived, including Kaiser and Tsar.

The ancient name Horace sounds fustily fuddy-duddy, and yet, with the resurrection of Homer, and the new interest in old Roman names...who knows.

This early Scottish title -- known to us via Shakespeare's Macbeth -- has recently surfaced as a baby name possibility, familiar sounding through its similarity to names like Zane and Wayne.

A name that seems to hail from the old Irish neighborhoods of Boston and New York, Terence actually dates back a lot further, to the time of a famous second-century poet, who started life as a North African enslaved man in the house of a Roman senator and it was also borne by several early saints.

Lucretius is the name of the Roman philosopher who invented Epicureanism. But even in these days of old Roman name revival, Lucretius sounds a bit long-white-beardish, though it can be enlivened with the nickname Luc.

Had a burst of popularity in 2000 when the controversial case of the Cuban boy Elián González was in the news; his name combined his parents': Elizabeth and Juan.

Derived from Germanic kuni "clan, family", but also a short form of Konrad, meaning "brave counsel". Konrad I, Duke of Swabia is also known as Kuno of Öhningen.

Name from legend that might be an interesting Jason alternative.

Rarely heard in modern times, it was used by Norman Mailer for the hero of his book The Deer Park.

Variation of Kuno.

Sounding like a cross between Nancy and Natalie, Nantale might have potential as same-but-different African-to-American crossover.

Let's leave this one packed away in the attic.

An ancient Roman names of unknown origin, generally (albeit rarely) encountered these days in its more streamlined Tarquin form. It was borne by two early kings of Rome.