Starlight Sailor

Theoden

Literature

"king"

The name of the King of Rohan in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings , supposedly a translation of Rohirric Tûrac ("king"). Tolkien based the Rohirric language on Old English.

Tide

Nature name

As likely to be tied to the detergent as to the rhythms of the ocean.

Titan

Greek

"defender"

This name comes from Greek mythology, where the Titans were a band of immortal, powerful giants. Popular movie of 2000 Remember the Titans may be partly responsible for this name's ranking in the Top…

Torvald

Norse

"Thor's ruler"

Torvald, not to be confused with Torvill of skating fame, is a Norse name which might be of interest to parents looking for Thor-related options. Torvald is most familiar in the English-speaking…

Triton

Greek mythology name

The Greek god Triton was the messenger of the sea and the son of sea god Neptune. He is usually represented as a merman, the the head and upper body of a human and the lower body of a sea creature.…

Tycho

Greek, Dutch, Old Norse

"hitting the mark; chance, luck; thunder"

A name with a number of variations including the Danish Tyge, the Swedish Tyko, and the Dutch Tygo, which are popular throughout modern Europe. Tycho was also the name of both a 5th century Greek…

Typhoon

Chinese

"great wind"

Might be asking for trouble, especially when your son reaches the Terrible Twos.

Urso

Italian from Latin

"bear"

Cool bearlike option, though Orson might be easier to embrace.

Valor

Word name

"courage and bravery"

This modern virtue name gives a nod to ancient chivalry and could also work as an updated form of the classic Victor. A bold choice, but one that an increasing number of parents have been making in…

Verne

Latin

"springlike"

Verne is a masculine name of Latin origin, derived from the Latin word 'vernus,' meaning 'spring-like' or 'flourishing.' This name gained recognition largely through the famous French author Jules…

Vesper

Latin

"evening star"

While this is usually thought of as a girls' name because of the Bond Girl connection, its sound is masculine and there's no reason it couldn't work for boys.

Zephyr

Greek

"west wind"

If you're looking for a name that's light and breezy, this could be it. A name from mythology: Zephyrus/Zephyr was the Greek god of the west wind, and with its similarity in sound to the likes of…

Atlantis

Place name

Mythical wonderland makes strong, evocative first name for either gender.

Thames

Nature name

Actress Jaime King gave her son Leo the middle name Thames, for the famous London river where she and her husband Kyle Newman were married. Thames is pronounced tehms, not necessarily common…

Nemesio

Spanish

"justice"

The meaning makes this name interesting, but the sound is too related to nemesis.

Poseidon

Greek mythology

"lord of the earth, husband of the earth"

In Greek mythology, Poseidon is the wild God of seas, storms, earthquakes and horses — which he could tame with a strike of his trident. He is notable for helping the Greeks against the Trojans…

Ilias

Greek, from Hebrew

"Yahweh is God"

The Greek form of Elijah.

Apollos

Greek

"of Apollo"

A Biblical name deriving from the Greek god Apollo. Apollos was a 1st century Alexandrian Jewish Christian and contemporary of Paul the Apostle mentioned several times in the New Testament.

Cirrus

Latin

Cirrus is a type of cloud formation characterized by thin, wispy strands (from the Latin cirrus "tendril; ringlet"). British cloudspotter Gavin Pretor-Pinney gave his eldest daughter the middle name…

Crispin

Latin

"curly-haired"

Crispin, which was introduced into the mainstream by actor Crispin Glover and which means "curly-haired" in Latin, has an image very much like its first syllable: crisp, autumnal, and colorful. St.…