call me by ur names

Cliff

Topographical name or short form of Clifford or Clifton

Cliff is a familiar, timeless short form -- never too popular, yet widely known -- that you might also think of as a geographical name ala Vale or Field.

Rice

English nature name

Rice is really stretching the nature name boundary to its outer edges. But you may want to take it that far.

Bray

Irish place-name, from French

"marsh"

Can't help thinking of a donkey.

Ilya

Russian variation of Elijah

"the Lord is my God"

A rare example of an a-ending boy's name that sounds masculine, Ilya has a large measure of creative Slavic charm. >p>Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov."…

Lucan

Irish variation of Luke

Lucan is a rarely heard Irish name, a Luke form with the trendy an ending.

Alastair

Scottish

"defender of men"

To Americans, a quintessential British name, introduced to the U.S. public by suave journalist/PBS Masterpiece Theater host Alastair Cook. Sometimes used in the U.S. by parents with Scottish heritage.

Adair

Scottish and Irish, Brazilian

"oak tree ford; wealthy spearman; wealth and fame"

Adair has flair, the grace of a Fred Astaire, and a daring, spirited vibe. It's usually considered a Scottish surname, derived from the name Edgar, though other possibilities are that it derives from…

Theodoric

German

"people's ruler"

Theodoric feels prehistoric, though with short form Theo one of the hottest names around, this old German names for boys may soon feel new again.

Whitaker

Whitaker is a masculine name originating as an English surname meaning 'white field' or 'wheat field.' Derived from Old English elements 'hwit' (white) and 'aecer' (field), it was traditionally a…

Gaetan

French form of the Italian Gaetano

"of Gaeta"

It's unusual, but that may be its best feature.

Bromley

English

"broom meadow"

Bromley is an English surname-name that's more possible as a first name now than ever before. The -ley suffix has been adopted for many names, and surnames such as Bromley are fashionable. A short…

Erskine

Scottish

"from the high cliffs"

Rarely used un-Gaelic-sounding Scottish name with literary associations to Erskine Caldwell, author of Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre .

Aeron

Welsh

"berries; battle, slaughter"

Aeron is the name of a river in modern-day Wales, that possibly takes its name from a Celtic war goddess (Agrona). Alternatively, it could come from the word aeron meaning "berries, fruits, plum,…

Calder

English

"rocky water"

A cool, rugged sounding name, Calder is connected to an ancient Scottish clan, an English village, and a Scottish River, along with the sculptor Alexander Calder, who invented the mobile (as in,…

Finlay

Irish and Scottish

"fair-haired hero"

Finlay is a Scottish royal name: it belonged to Macbeth's father, Finlay MacRory--or Findlaech mac Ruaidri--that has a bit of a split personality. It has two acceptable spellings--Finlay and Finley,…