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Names That Need More Love
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Augustine
Latin
"great, magnificent"
Augustine is more substantial (and saintly) than August, less pretentious than Augustus, and, along with its nickname Gus, is definitely a viable choice. Augustine is actually the diminutive form of…
Seneca
Latin surname and Native American
"people of the standing rock"
Seneca's distinguished heritage as the name of the ancient Roman philosopher-playwright who tutored Nero, and of an Iroquois tribe makes this an interesting choice for either sex.
Ambrose
Latin
"immortal"
Gentle but grandiose and beloved by British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose was a fast rising name in 2022. Entering the UK Top 1000 for the first time and proving…
Magnus
Scandinavian from Latin
"greatest"
Magnus is a Latin name, literally meaning "greatest," that has a Scandinavian feel. It dates back to Charlemagne being called Carolus Magnus, or Charles the Great. Norwegian king Magnus I, named…
Alfred
English
"wise counselor; elf counsel"
Alfred is up off his recliner! If you're looking for a path to Fred, you can go directly to Frederick or take the long way around with the so-out-it's-in-again Alfred. Alfred is quite popular in…
Eugenie
French form of Eugenia, Greek
"wellborn, noble"
Eugenie enjoyed a major dusting off when Fergie and Prince Andrew chose it for their daughter, restoring a patina of royal sheen it hadn't had since the time of Napoleon III's glamorous empress--who…
Araminta
Literature, compound of Arabella and Aminta, Greek
"loveable; unyielding + defender; unfading"
Araminta is a poetic and enchanting eighteenth-century invention with plenty of elegance and a touch of old-fashioned clunkiness. It first appeared in William Congreve's 17th century comedy The Old…
Letitia
Latin
"joy, gladness"
Letitia is a delicate, once prim and proper sounding name whose staid image has been unbuttoned by numerous phonetic spellings. The original, often used in Spanish-speaking families, would still make…
Georgiana
English, feminine variation of George
"farmer"
Long a popular upper-crust form in England, where it's pronounced George-ee-AH-na, Georgiana has been been neglected here. But with Georgia growing more popular and the general fashion for elaborate…
Alistair
English spelling of Alasdair, Scottish version of Alexander
"defending men"
With many British names invading the Yankee name pool, the sophisticated Alistair could and should be part of the next wave. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016. You have a triple choice with this…
Bertrand
French from German
"magnificent crow"
This name of famed philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell becomes slightly more plausible with the French pronunciation, bare-TRAHN. Another noted bearer is French director…
Job
Hebrew
"persecuted"
A rare and single syllable Biblical name with a hint of Jude, Jonah, Jacob, and Joseph about it, Job is a weighty choice that may appeal to those who enjoy both heavily Biblical names and short,…
Rupert
German variation of Robert
"bright fame"
Rupert is a charming-yet-manly name long more popular in Britain (where it's attached to a beloved cartoon bear) than in the U.S. Yet we can see Rupert as a more stylish, modern way to honor an…
Agatha
Greek
"good woman"
Agatha until recently summoned up visions of martyred saints, mauve silk dresses, and high lace collars, but now that some dauntless excavators have begun to resurrect it, we're sure more will follow…
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…
Lavinia
Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the…
Chauncey
Latin
"chancellor"
A name halfway between its old milquetoast image and a more jovial Irish-sounding contemporary one.
Rowena
Welsh
"white spear; famous friend; fame and joy"
A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw,…
Wallace
Scottish
"foreigner, stranger"
Wallace is so square could almost be ripe for a turnaround, especially with the hipness imparted by the British Claymation series Wallace & Gromit . And Wally makes an adorable Leave it to Beaver…
Eugenia
Feminine variation of Eugene, Greek
"wellborn, noble"
Eugenia, a name scarcely used at all since the 1980's, is another that flourished a century ago and could be due for a revival. Eugenia has some interesting literary references, including the…