Latin Names

Popular in the Hispanic world and used in honor of Saint Augustine, Agustin is an anglicized form of the Spanish Agustín. It peaked at Number 561 in 2001 in the US charts and has since dropped on and off of the list again. Given to around 210 boys in a recent year, Agustin also ranks highly in Chile and Uruguay.

Junius is one of those names that's growing on us, along with many of its Roman countrymen such as Julius and Atticus. We once thought it was a combination of the least attractive elements of Junior and Julius but now we think...well, we think it's okay. Not great, but okay.

Woodsy name referring to the Roman tree god Silvanus.

Avis is a bird name that's been in hibernation for awhile, possibly due to the car rental association, but it could make a return on the wings of Ava. Baldwin brother Daniel chose it for his daughter.

The name of the Roman god of love, the son of Venus, considered so romantic as to be unfit for mere mortals. Yet now that Romeo and Venus herself are fair game for modern babies, why not Cupid?

One of the coolest of names, thanks to legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk, who inherited it from his father. It has been used very sparingly since the 1960s--just a sprinkling of baby boys receive the name each year. Monk's middle name Sphere is pretty unique too--a cousin of Cosmos and Cosmo. Some other jazz names to consider: Bix, Ellington, Ella, Etta, Mingus, Dexter and Calloway. :

Virtually unknown in the U.S., yet with its jaunty o ending and similarity to the stylish (yet unrelated) Remy, Remo may find some new followers.

Florence is back, and the adorable short form Florie (or Flory) is too. Or you could just name her Flora and be done with it.

A Disneyfied name: Faline was the sweet doe Bambi fell in love with.

Faustine has a positive meaning, although the association with the character who sold his soul to the devil may be off-putting. This name is among the Top 100 girls' names in France, but was given to fewer than five baby girls in the US last year.

An old aristocratic English name which also belongs to Cambridge college, named for George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand, subsequently Bishop of Lichfield.

An unusual flower name deriving from the Latin word for lily (lilium), this variant has always been popular in Scotland.

Silvanus was the Roman god of the forests and is also an alternate name in the New Testament for Silas. Relatives include Silvio, Silvius, and Sylvia.

Amica is a word meaning girlfriend that is not often used as a name in Italy, but it would sound pretty and name-like elsewhere.

If you're looking for a presidential first name, keep looking.

Takes the priss out of Priscilla.

A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale, Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with the appealing canine character in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmations.

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.

A name from the ancient world that may get a mixed reception today. On the one hand, festive! On the other hand, fester. In the Bible, Porcius Festus was a Roman official who rubbed up against St Paul. In modern times, this name has had more love in African countries than anywhere else.

The only version that works for boys anymore is the Latinate Hilario or Ilario. Better to look to Felix for a happy-meaning name.