Victorian Boy Names from the 1800s

Ludwig

German

"famous warrior"

As heavy as a marble bust of Beethoven.

Arnold

English from German

"ruler, strong as an eagle"

Strange as it may now seem, the venerable St. Arnold was a Greek by birth, a musician who became a member of the court of Charlemagne. The name is said to have been introduced into Britain by the…

Obadiah

Hebrew

"servant of God"

For the seriously audacious biblical baby namer who wants to move beyond Elijah and Josiah, this name has considerable old-fangled charm. Obadiah, who gave his name to one of the shortest books in…

Shadrach

Akkadian

"command of Aku"

Derived from Aku, the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Old Testament Shadrach is the Babylonian name of Hananiah, one of the three men cast into a furnace before being saved by God.

Duncan

Scottish

"dark warrior"

Duncan is jaunty, confident, and open, a Scottish royal name that's brimming with friendly charm and makes it into our golden circle of names that are neither too popular nor too strange. Popularity…

Leopold

German

"brave people"

An aristocratic and stately Germanic route to the popular Leo, Leopold is a royal name: Queen Victoria used it to honor a favorite uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium. These days, this royal tie may be…

Algernon

French

"moustached man"

While this name came into being as a Norman-French nickname for a man with whiskers, the name was quickly embraced as a true name by the Victorians and is likely most familiar to you as the name of…

Dudley

English

"Dudda's meadow"

It's easy to love a name that rhymes with "cuddly" and is also attached to the surname Do-Right -- once you ignore the "dud" connection. Dudley has aristocratic roots--the name was originally famous…

Ernest

English from German

"serious, resolute"

Ernest is one of those sober, so-far-out-they're-beginning-to-be-reconsidered Great Uncle names. Ernest recently received a big style boost when Britain's Princess Eugenie chose it for her second…

Rees

Rees is a Welsh masculine name derived from the Welsh word 'rhys,' meaning 'enthusiasm' or 'ardor.' This concise, strong name has deep Celtic roots and has been borne by several Welsh princes and…

Wilfred

English

"desires peace"

Wilfred is one of those Old Man Names that still sounds fusty in the US but is fashionable in the UK. It comes with readymade short forms Will, Wilf, or Fred and might make an adventurous alternative…

Basil

Greek

"royal"

Although Greek in origin--in the fourth century, a bishop by that name established the principles of the Greek Orthodox Church--Basil for years took on the aura of aquiline-nosed upper-class…

Vernon

English

"place of alders"

Once aristocratic British surname yet to be revived. Vince Vaughn recently gave his son the same double initials as his own when he named him Vernon Vaughn.

Valentine

Latin

"strength, health"

Valentine is an attractive Shakespearean name with romantic associations, but those very ties to the saint and the sentimental holiday have sent it into a decline, one which we think may be about to…

Simeon

Hebrew

"he [God] has heard"

Could Simeon be the next Gideon? Parents seeking a less simple form of Simon might consider this biblical appellation that was chosen by Wynton Marsalis for his son. Simon is actually the Greek…

Sidney

English from French

"Saint Denis"

A contraction name, Sidney comes from Saint Denis and is related to Dioynsius, the Greek god of fertility and wine, although another theory is that it derived from an Anglo-Saxon place name, meaning…

Edmund

English

"fortunate protector"

The sophisticated Edmund and its nearly-identical French twin Edmond are coming out of mothballs now that Edward, inspired by Twilight, is once again a hot name. In fact, it's already a fairly…

Septimus

Latin

"the seventh son"

Septimus is one of the more dashing of the birth-order Latin number names that were revived by the Victorians. So even if you don't anticipate son number 7, you might be bold enough to consider this…