Pythagoras

Many will recognise Pythagoras as the name of the Greek mathematician whose theorem on triangles they learned in math class. As a given name, Pythagoras is rarely used, but with its wise and intellectual associations, it could make a bold middle choice - especially if you were hoping to honor a math teacher or someone who's into philosophy, Ancient Greece, or astronomy.

The name derives from the Greek place name Pythios - also one of the names of Apollo - and agora meaning "marketplace, assembly". Pythios gets its name from the Greek verb "to rot", and while this might sound like a negative meaning, it was actually named to celebrate the sickly sweet smell of decay that spread after Apollo had slain a monstrous python.

Pronounced pih-THAG-uh-rus.