Cool Classic Boy Names Below the Top 1000 

Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius might start attracting more attention.
Mario, the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese version of Marius, is much more widely used.

Marius

Mercer is an attractive possibility which is an occupational name that doesn't sound like one. Mercer and its cool, sophisticated short form Merce project a super creative image via their artistic namesakes.
 Johnny Mercer was a talented and charming songwriter-singer who wrote the lyrics for more than 1,500 songs, including Moon River. Jazz great Duke Ellington named his son Mercer, and he in turn became a respected musician in his own right. Stone Temple Pilot's Scott Weiland used Mercer as the middle name of his son Noah.
 In the visual arts, Mercer Mayer is a prolific children's book writer and illustrator.
 The short form Merce is associated with avant garde dancer/choreographer Merce Cunningham, born Mercier, whose name still resonates with an aura of bold originality.

Mercer

An fearsome old Norse name with a long history in Scandinavia. It's gotten a boost in the States from popularity of the History Channel drama "Vikings," in which the protagonist is named Ragnar. Ragnar Lodbrok (meaning "shaggy pants") was a legendary warrior whose story was told in the Viking sagas. Ragnar also recalls name of the Norse Judgment Day, Ragnarök. 
Pronounced as RAHNG-nahr in Swedish and RAK-nar in Iceland, it combines the elements reign meaning "advice, counsel" and herr meaning "warrior, army". International forms of the name include the English Rayner and the French Rainier

Ragnar

A common surname that was popular as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th century, Willis dropped off the US Top 1000 back in the early 90s, just as alternative William diminutive, Liam, began to skyrocket. 
 
Particularly popular among Amish people, Willis is still given to around 60 boys in each recent year.

Willis

Common in Holland, the appealing Willem (as in de Kooning and Dafoe) makes William fresh and distinctive.

Willem

Beau is now in now in the Top 200 <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys' names</a>, and this is a more elaborate way to get there. Comic power couple Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti named their first son Beaumont Gino in July 2017. Monty is another possible nickname. As French baby names go, this one might provide the perfect balance of effete and approachable.

Beaumont

Most parents would find this old Roman name pretentious compared to the more accessible Adrian, but some history buffs just might want to commemorate the enlightened emperor. 

Hadrian

Murray, you may be surprised to discover, is a Scottish surname name --that of an ancient noble clan--with a sea-swept meaning, and just could be in the next wave of reevaluated grandpa names. Currently Number 60 for baby boys born in its native Scotland; it was at its highest in the US in 1922, when it reached Number 208, but has been off the list since 1975. Could it be time for a comeback? TV Murrays have appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Flight of the Conchords and Degrassi: The Next Gemeration.
 Lisa Kudrow used it as the middle name of her son Julian.

Murray

Names ending in bert have long been in limbo, but with the return of Albert, maybe there's hope for Herbert. who could share the Bertie nickname. Herbert is a name that's been used by English speakers since medieval times, and was in the Top 25 in the US in the late 1920s, around the time of the presidency of Herbert Hoover, but there's been no sight of Herbert in the 21st century. Some Herberts, including novelists H. G. Wells and H. E. Bates, have preferred to go by their initials.

Herbert

This simple, elegant name offers something for many kinds of parents, from writers and history buffs to photographers to Pennsylvania dwellers. Most famous bearers are comedian Penn Jillette and Gossip Girl hottie Penn Badgley, both of whom were given this distinctive name at birth. Long obscure, Penn seems destined for greater usage.
 More familiar as a surname, Penn has had a number of distinguished bearers, including Pennsylvania founder William, director Arthur, photographer Irving, and actor/activist Sean.

Penn

Nicolo is a more lively variation of Nicholas and one of the most attractive <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/506/italian-names-for-boys">Italian names for boys</a>. A name with a long, distinguished Italian history of its own, it also boasts the charming nickname Nico.
 Although the female counterpart, Nicola, has long been a favorite in the UK, Nicolo has not yet made a similar transition. It was chosen, though, by actor Stanley Tucci, for his son.
 Nicolo is a name with musical reverberations, connected to the major early violin maker Amati, and the later violin virtuoso Paganini.

Nicolo

Cato conjures up images of ancient Roman statesmen and southern antebellum retainers; it could have revival potential, with its 'O' ending and the current interest in the names of Greek and Roman antiquity.
 The Roman statesman known as Cato the Elder was born Marcus Portius, the Cato added in tribute to his natural sagacity, practical wisdom and political expertise.
 Cato appears in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and, to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, in the Pink Panther movies--and Kato was The Green Hornet's valet. Cato is also a 21st century Hunger Games name, which could do more to spur its popularity than all its past history.

Cato

This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Borne by the person who helps to entomb Jesus following his crucifixion, it has the powerful meaning of "victory of the people" and is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek Nikodemos. 
 
A literary choice, it is given to the character Nicodemus (Noddy) Boffin in the Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend, while in the real-world, it is chosen for a small but substantial number of boys in the US each year, with 35 born in a recent count. 
 
The English pronunciation is nik-uh-DEE-muhs, while in Latin it would be nee-ko-DEH-moos. Nikodem is the more popular Polish form, also heard in the UK and in the Netherlands.

Nicodemus

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.
 In antebellum America, Caesar became a common name among enslaved people, along with such other classical appellations as Cato and Octavius.

Caesar

The name of the brave, resourceful hero of Homer's epic saga, Odysseus is associated with hatching the Trojan Horse plot, and with his long and challenging journey home to his kingdom. Possibly meaning "to hate" or "wrathful", the exact etymology is unknown, with some scholars suggesting it was drawn from a non-Greek source.
 
The wrathful meaning, however, likely comes from Homer's Odyssey, in which Odysseus's grandfather names him to reflect his own feelings towards life. 
 
A weighty choice that may once have been dismissed as too out there, Odysseus has, nevertheless been appearing in the US stats since the late 1990s. Given to 44 boys in a recent year, Odysseus is arguably not too dissimilar to Ulysses, Atticus, Ozias, Augustus, and Thaddeus.
 
Plus, with mythological names in vogue and the 2026 movie The Odyssey making it far more familiar, perhaps coming years will see Odysseus climb higher. 
 
Nicknames could be Odie or Ozzy.

Odysseus

Levin, known in the U.S. mostly as a surname, is a Top 100 boys' name in Germany.  There have been saints with variations of this name, whose meaning relates to love.

Levin

Claude is a soft-spoken French name that conjures up the pastel colors of Monet and harmonies of Debussy. In France, it is used for girls as well, in fact in the Tracy Chevalier novel Lady and the Unicorn, the protagonist is a female Claude.
 Claudes have appeared in such iconic movies as Chinatown and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Actor Simon Baker has a son named Claude Blue.
 A French classic, Claude was also a top 100 name in the U.S. until 1922.
 The attractive Italian version Claudio is occasionally heard in this country, and Claudius is the original Latin--which could be restored in the current Latin-loving climate. While "lame" is the most widely-acknowledged meaning, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise-appealing name.

Claude

Bartholomew is an apostle's name that's been out of favor for centuries but might appeal again to the parent in search of an old but rare choice. The challenge could be to avoid the Simpson-ish nickname. That character, by the way, has the full name of Bartholomew JoJo Simpson, and creator Matt Groening came up with Bart as an--uh oh--anagram for brat. Two old alternate nicknames are Barty and Tolly.
 Ben Jonson's 1614 comedy Bartholomew Fair is set in London on St. Bartholomew's Day. Charles Dickens used the name in Bleak House, and, more recently, Bartholomew Cubbins is the protagonist of the Dr. Seuss books The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Bartholomew and the Oobleck

Bartholomew

A zippy, lively name that has never been popular, but has never completely disappeared. It is best known for writer and wit Gore Vidal, and hairdresser Vidal Sassoon and his many products.

Vidal

Connell is an Irish masculine name derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Conaill, meaning "descendant of Conall." The original name Conall combines the elements "con" (wolf or hound) and "all" (mighty), translating to "strong wolf" or "strong as a wolf." Connell carries a sense of strength and resilience with its powerful animal association. The name gained moderate popularity in Ireland and Scottish Highlands historically but remained relatively uncommon globally. In recent decades, it has seen some increased usage in English-speaking countries, appealing to parents seeking a distinctive name with Celtic roots and masculine qualities. Its connection to Irish heritage makes it particularly appealing to those with Irish ancestry.

Connell

include choices from ancient cultures and the Bible, names sailing out of style along with those heading in.

at the same time? It needs to be deeply rooted in history, but also unusual and underused, and these 

such as Cormac and Orson, this list features 

such as Alois, Benno, Inigo, Nahuel, and Wyclef — each of which were given to ten or fewer baby boys in 2021.

are rare and really stand out from the crowd. If you're looking for 

Cool classic boy that are unique, rare, uncommon, and interesting, with meanings, origins, and popularity, cool names , cool but classic names for boys, long names for boys, cool and elegant names, underused classic names for boys (Page 6)