Javad's list "Ancient (mostly) and/or Internationally-Inspired Names" of 20 great name ideas: Florian - Carys!

Ancient (mostly) and/or Internationally-Inspired Names

If Flora and Florence have returned full force, then Florian, with its strong Latinate ending and its botanical meaning in one to watch out for. Popular in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and France, Florian is a saintly choice, borne St Florian, a 3rd-century martyr and the patron saint of Poland and firefighters.
 
Meaning "flower" or "flowering", the name appears in Tennyson's poem "The Princess," and also in Gilbert & Sullivan's comic opera "Princess Ida." Sir Florian Eustace is an off-stage character in Trollope's novel The Eustace Diamonds, while in the real world, Florian is the birth name of singer Dido and borne by footballer Florian Thauvin too. 
 
A great way to honor a Florence (or a Lily, Violet, or Rose), Florian fits in with solid choices like Adrian and Julian, but also with gentler options like Ocean, August, Remy, and Elio.
 
Pronounced as FLO-ree-ahn in German, FLAW-RYAH(n) in French, FLAW-ryahn in Polish and FLAW-ree-uhn in English, Florian was given to around 50 boys in the US in a recent year, while in England and Wales, it rose 127 places up the Top 1000.

Florian

Salman is an Arabic name dating back to Salman the Persian, one of Muhammad's companions. In this country it is strongly associated with Anglo-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.

 Somewhat related names are Salmon, associated with Salmom P. Chase, U.S. Treasury Secretary under Lincoln and the sixth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; and Zalman, a Yiddish variation of Solomon.

Salman

Pleasant and accessible and not as widely-used as some other <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/192/african-names">African names</a>.

Nabil

Gareth, the name of a modest and brave knight in King Arthur's court, makes a sensitive, gently appealing choice, used more in its native Wales than anywhere else.
 The name Gareth first appeared in Malory's Morte d'Arthur, as the lover of Eluned, the brother of Gawain and nephew of King Arthur. He also appears in the Gareth and Lynette segment of Tennyson's Idylls of the King.
In the British version of The Office, Gareth is the name of the equivalent character of Dwight Schrute, and it also appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Recommended nickname: Gaz. Not recommended nickname: Gary.

Gareth

Hilary may feel too connected to a single personality, but this version offers a fresh and interesting alternative.
 
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin (born Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas) chose this variation of Hilaria's adopted name for their third daughter, Ilaria Catalina Irena.

Ilaria

Osias has a Latinate and biblical feel without making an appearance in the Bible. The related Ozias, on the other hand, is a form of Uzziah, found in the Greek and Latin Old Testament, and could make a distinctive path to the nickname Oz or Ozzie--both far cooler, in our opinion, than Oswald.  

Osias

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye." 
 
Sometimes spelled Ksenia to reflect the traditional Greek pronunciation (kseh-NEE-uh), Xenia is also pronounced ZEEN-ee-ah or SHEN-yah.

Xenia

Ottilie is trending in the UK, where the pronounced T helps the name sound pretty and delicate, rather like Amelie and Elodie. Ottilie is less popular in the US, where many Americans pronounce it as a near-homonym for "oddly".
 
Sweet but stylish, Ottilie was once reserved for the British upper crust, to be spotted among The Telegraph name rankings, rather than in your average school class. However, it has been quickly climbing the charts since 2015, and in 2022, it debuted in the UK Top 100.
 
Rarely seen in the US since the 1880s, Ottilie does have a few cultural references: She is a key character in Goethe's Elective Affinities, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a poem called To Ottilie, Franz Kafka had a sister named Ottilie, and it is the name of the protagonist in the John Wyndham sci-fi story Random Quest.
 
Probably the best-known Ottilie is the German journalist, abolitionist, and feminist Ottilie Assing, who had a long involvement with fellow abolitionist Frederic Douglass. Others include the Irish Jazz singer, Ottilie Patterson, and Ottilie Rue Sugg, daughter of British influencers, Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes. 
 
Popular among Nameberry users, Ottilie is both vintage and playful, with the sweet nickname options of Lottie, Tillie, Otto, and Otter.
 
If the popularity of Ottilie puts you off, or it doesn't sound right in your accent, you could try a variant, such as Ottoline, Ottilia, and Odile, or names with similar sounds and style, such as Odessa, Odette, Romilly, or Coralie.

Ottilie

Pretty Hebrew name that would create a strong but feminine impression, as well as a variant of the Germanic name Odilia or Ottilie.

Odelia

Walden is a recent entrant to the en-ending boys' names trend, a name that summons up placid images of Thoreau's two-year stay contemplating nature near Walden Pond. 
 A quite different image came into being when Walden was chosen as the name for Ashton Kutcher's character in "Two and a Half Men"--internet billionaire Walden Schmidt. It is also a Harry Potter name, via wizard Walden Macnair.

Walden

Joyful-sounding name that makes a really original option.

Caio

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name, borne by poet Philip Larkin.

Larkin

Calista Flockhart spotlighted this lovely Greek name that has a long future in the English-speaking world.  Kallista is another spelling; Calixta and Calixto are related.

Callista

Annora is a noble name, a distinctive twist on its most essential form: Honor. Other variations to explore include Honora and Nora. 

Annora

Since the first production of Camille this has been considered one of the world's most romantic names, though it's one of those <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/498/french-names-for-boys">French names for boys</a> rarely heard in this country.
 Actor Armie Hammer's first name is Armand.

Armand

We love this partly for purely personal reasons, since it is one of our surnames. We used it as the middle name of a son –and it can make a good first choice too. Redmond – also found as Reamann or Raemonn – is the Irish form of the Germanic name that occurs in modern English as Raymond. 

 The 12th century Norman invader Raymond Fitzgerald aka Raymond Le Gros (meaning, The Large or The Fat), brought the name to Ireland, where it morphed into Redmond along with other variations. One seventeenth century Redmond O'Hanlon was a charismatic outlaw, and he has a modern namesake who is a well-known travel writer. In Ireland, Mundy is sometimes used as a nickname.

Redmond

While Aurelio, Aurelia, and Aurelius are all on the rise, this historical and Romanian form of the golden name is yet to share in its relatives' success. Given to just 25 boys in a recent year, it may never the less appeal to those who like Adrian, Elian, and Augustine. 
 
Aurelian is typically used in English to refer to the 3rd century Roman emperor (Lucius Domitius Aurelianus), known for reuniting the Roman Empire through his successful military victories. There's also the wrestler Aurelian Smith, better known as Grizzly Smith, Paul Aurelian, a 6th-century Welsh saint who supposedly lived to be 140, and Aurelian Temișan, a singer and actor.

Aurelian

Forget the furry blue Muppet, forget corpulent President Cleveland (not too difficult), and consider this name anew. We think it's spunky, a little funky, and well worth a second look, similar in style to the likes of Wilder and Ranger, to Sullivan, Chester, and Stanley.
 President (Stephen) Grover Cleveland was considered well-liked and respectable in his time, notable for his integrity and fight against political corruption. As such, many children were named after him, popularizing the name and pushing it to Number 20 in the 1880s, around the time of his presidency. Today, however, some may recall his passing and enthusiastic support of the Dawes Act which was so devastating to Native Americans.
 
 Another well known Grover is jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.
 
A recent year saw Grover used for 26 boys in the US.

Grover

From the first time we saw the name Saskia attached to a portrait of Rembrandt's wife (her full name was Saakje van Uylenburgh, but she was always called Saskia), we have found it utterly charming and wondered why it hasn't attracted more fans In this country--she's appreciated by the Brits, who have moved her to Number 392. Saskia is one of those names that's been used in Europe since the Middle Ages, but has never crossed the ocean.
 One contemporary bearer is actress Saskia Reeves, who was born to a Dutch mother. Pop artist Red Grooms has a grown daughter named Saskia, and more recently TV's Anne Dudek chose it for her daughter.

Saskia

Light, pretty and distinctive in appearance, Carys is one of that sweet group of girl names with a loving meaning. A relatively modern name, it didn't come into use in its native Wales until the late nineteenth century, and even then, it wasn't a mainstream choice until the middle of the twentieth century. Pronounced as CA-riss, the beginning sound is like the one cat or Catherine, not said to rhyme with Claire. 
 
These days, it is a familiar name in Wales and England, but it was only properly introduced to America when Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas chose it for their daughter in 2003. It subsequently gained a brief spell of attention in the US but it has since fallen out of favor, give to around 30 girls (compared to sound-alike Karis, chosen for nearly 90).
 
Even in England and Wales, Carys has fallen back to the latter half of the Top 1000 after its 2004 peak, when it ranked at #130. Nevertheless, it has some notable namesakes, including writers Carys Davies and Carys Bray, footballer Carys Hawkins, and neurosurgeon Carys Bannister — an early Carys born in 1935, and the second woman in the UK to lead on brain surgery. 
 
Derived from the Welsh element caru meaning "to love", blended with the -ys suffix of Gladys and Dilys, it is related to the ancient sounding Caradoc. Cerys is an alternative form, pronounced as KEH-riss.
 
Carys is not however linked to Charis, a Greek name meaning "grace, kindness" and pronounced as KA-REES.