FractalShadow's list "classic and unusual character names for men" of 20 great name ideas: Jorel - Zaccheus!

classic and unusual character names for men

This is a list of classic and unusual character names for men. There is a wide variety of different names here for all different kinds of characters.

Jorel is a masculine name that gained recognition primarily through its fictional association as the birth name of Superman's father in DC Comics. With Kryptonian origins in that context, the real-world name may have emerged as a modern combination of traditional elements, possibly blending 'Jo' (from Joseph or Jonathan) with the '-el' suffix common in Hebrew names meaning 'of God.' While never widely used, Jorel has attracted some interest from parents seeking distinctive names with a contemporary sound but subtle connections to tradition. The name has a strong, compact quality with just two syllables, projecting clarity and strength. Its rarity ensures individuality while remaining relatively straightforward to pronounce and spell.

Jorel

A shimmering day name, with a bit of hippie residue. 

Light

Seren, meaning "star", is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">top girls' names</a> in Wales, but as a boys' name it has a different derivation. It's a rare Polish form of the Latin Serenus, mostly used to refer to the Saint and meaning "serene". It could make for a handsome and almost unknown alternative to rising star Soren.

Seren

Sheridan is one surname-name that hasn't come into style for either gender, though it was lightly used for boys around the turn of the 20th century and girls 100 years later. The name does have an attractive sound and an appealing meaning.

Sheridan

This evocative name of one of the Three Wise Men of the Orient, also spelled Balthasar, may finally be ready for prime time. Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar were the Magi who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus, though their names were not mentioned in the Bible.
 Balthazar, in its various spellings, has been attached to a number of distinguished artists, writers and philosophers of the past; the most prominent contemporary bearer is Balthazar Getty, actor and great-grandson of J. Paul Getty. The iconoclastic modern painter Balthus was born Balthasar.
 Balthazar is well represented in literature. The name appears in no fewer than four Shakespeare plays, is the title of a Lawrence Durrell novel, is the main character of a Balzac novel, and has been seen in everything from a James Bond film to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The Smurfs to Xbox and online games, and there is a J. P. Donleavy novel titled The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B.

Balthazar

Brother for Biff and Bud.   McFly rocker Tom Fletcher transformed this from midcentury short form to modern cool name when he used it for his newborn son.

Buzz

Drago sounds fierce but has a sweet meaning. It may be used as a standalone name or as a short form of other Slavic names beginning with the element dragu "dear", such as Dragoljub or Dragomir.

Drago

Russian form of Roderick given to a small number of American boys each year.

Rurik

Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son.  But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which gives the name a more devilish twist.  While there's nothing intrinsically male or female about Sabbath as a first name, it squeaked onto the Social Security roster for five boys in 2012, but was not recorded for girls.  Sabbath comes from the word for "day of rest" in many ancient cultures.


Sabbath

An unusual name related to the willow family.

Salix

Kiernan Shipka, aka Sally Draper on Mad Men, brings this Irish surname into the girls' column. And, like Kieran and Tierney and Tiernan, it's one of the perfectly <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a>. Only 14 girls were named Kiernan in the US in a recent year...and three times as many boys. If you want to move beyond Riley and Kennedy to one of the more unusual surname-based <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/804/irish-names-for-girls">Irish names for girls</a>, this may be a good choice.

Kiernan

An ancient and highly unusual name; St. Alban -- sometimes also called Albinus or Aubin -- was an early martyr in Roman Britain.  Using an alternate spelling, Alben Barkley was the 35th U.S. Vice-President, serving under Harry Truman.  And Albin is popular in modern Sweden. But only the form Alban has the alternate meaning "from Alba".

Alban

One for the truly adventurous baby namers, or perhaps an unexpected middle name to liven up a more traditional first. But on trend short form Bo does make it feel a little more accessible.

Bonaventure

Cordale appears to be a modern masculine given name that emerged primarily in the late 20th century in the United States. The name may be a combination of 'Cor-' (possibly from names like Corey or Cordell) and '-dale,' an English word and naming element meaning 'valley.' Alternatively, it could be a variation of the surname Cordell, which has Norman French origins. Some sources suggest it might be related to French 'cœur' (heart) combined with 'dale,' though this etymology is speculative. Usage records show Cordale appearing with increased frequency beginning in the 1980s and 1990s. The name follows patterns of other modern masculine names combining familiar elements in creative ways. While never among the most common names, Cordale represents contemporary naming trends that value distinctive sounds and combinations while maintaining familiar elements.

Cordale

Kiefer is a strong occupational surname associated with "24" star Kiefer Sutherland, but one that could well join the other 'er' surnames currently in favor. Keifer is a German surname transferred to first name use, derived from two old Germanic words, kien and forhe, both of which mean "pine tree."
 Kiefer Sutherland, the son of actor Donald Sutherland, was named for director Warren Kiefer, who gave Donald Sutherland his first movie role. Donald was a firm believer in honoring valued friends and mentors--his other sons are named Roeg, Rossif and Angus. Kiefer Sutherland's full name is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus.

 Another possible cultural namesake is the esteemed German artist Anselm Kiefer.

Kiefer

In one recent year there were 60 baby girls in the US named Lark....and only eight baby boys. But there's no reason this bird name can't also be masculine, especially given that Robin is making a comeback for boys and Sparrow is a notable starbaby boy (he's Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's son).

If you need further convincing Girl Names for Boys was one of our hottest <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/baby-name-trends-2024">baby name trends</a> of the year.

Lark

Vail

Wild

Highly unusual as a baby name for either gender, Yarrow is an herb that grows wild and has long been used for its medicinal property. It's named for the mythical Achilles, who was said to carry yarrow into battle.

Yarrow

A New Testament tax collector was called Zaccheus, the freshest spin on this biblical favorite. And it still gets you to Zac.