Future Baby #3

I have 2 children right now and am looking forward to adding one more someday. My boy is Castor George: Castor was a strong, uncommon name with little-to-no nicknames. George is after my maternal grandfather. There has been a "George" in every generation of his family. My girl is Scarlett Eugenia. Scarlett is a strong, bright, classic girl's name. It also has some of the same letters and sounds as Castor does. Eugenia is after my paternal uncle and godfather, and it is my maternal grandmother's middle name. There has been a "Eugene" or some form of it in every generation on my father's side. For our third I would like to stick to the older more classical names, but would not rule out very uncommon names. We caught a lot of flack for naming our son Castor, but we love it and it fits him well. He is certainly one of a kind. I'd like a name with similar consonant and vowel combinations.
  1. Aurora
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "dawn"
    • Description:

      The goddess name Aurora has consistently been on the US popularity list since the nineteenth century, but has really taken off in the past 30 years. Aurora also enjoys remarkable international popularity, ranking in the Top 100 throughout the English-speaking world as well as in Italy, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, and several other European and Latin American countries.
  2. Bauer
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "farmer, tiller of the soil"
    • Description:

      A surname name with an occupational background, but although it derives from the German language it is not used as a first name there as it has pejorative connotations – sometimes used as slag for an uneducated person. In the US, a prominent association is the character Jack Bauer from 24.
  3. Beecher
    • Bogart
      • Origin:

        Dutch surname
      • Meaning:

        "orchard"
      • Description:

        What it really means: you're a "Casablanca" fan.
    • Booker
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "scribe"
      • Description:

        Booker would make for a very cool name, for writers, reformers, R & B fans and those wanting to pay tribute to Booker T. Washington.
    • Bridger
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "lives near the bridge"
      • Description:

        A recent addition to the Most Popular list, Bridger has the trendy two-syllables and 'er' ending, and a historical reference to Jim Bridger, a foremost nineteenth-century frontiersman, explorer, trapper, scout, and teller of tall tales.
    • Carver
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "wood carver"
      • Description:

        Carver is an occupational name with an artistic bent, as is the newly arrived Painter, which has a fresher feel than the 1990's Carter. It also has eminent last-name links to botanist and educator George Washington Carver and short story master Raymond Carver.
    • Cooper
      • Origin:

        English occupational name
      • Meaning:

        "barrel maker"
      • Description:

        The genial yet upscale and preppy Cooper was one of the first occupational last names to catch on -- and Cooper remains a pleasing option.
    • Cyra
      • Origin:

        Persian or Greek
      • Meaning:

        "sun or throne, or lord"
      • Description:

        Cyra is an unusual name that can be pronounced either SEER-a or SI-ra, rhyming with Keira or Tyra. This name may be a feminine variation of Cyrus but is also a Persian name that stands on its own. One noted bearer is writer Cyra McFadden.
    • Enzo
      • Origin:

        Italian variation of Henry, also diminutive of Vincenzo and Lorenzo
      • Description:

        Enzo originated as the Italian variation of Heinz, a German name derived from Heinrich, related to Henry. It has historically been used as a short form for Italian names such as Vincenzo and Lorenzo. The most famous bearer of the name is Enzo Ferrari, founder of the luxury sports car brand.
    • Fielder
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "dweller in open country"
      • Description:

        An uncommon surname name with that energetic -er ending. Might appeal especially to baseball fans.
    • Ford
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "dweller at the ford"
      • Description:

        The long association to the Ford Motor Company doesn't stand in the way of this being a strong, independent, single-syllable name.
    • Forrest
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "dweller near the woods"
      • Description:

        Forrest is one of the earliest appealingly sylvan, outdoorsy choices, borne by newsman Sawyer, actor Whitaker, and football Hall of Famer Gregg. Forrest Gates was a character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
    • Forster
      • Origin:

        English, variation of Foster
      • Meaning:

        "scissors maker"
      • Description:

        Forster, a variation of Foster or potentially even Forester, is associated with British novelist E.M. Forster, author of A Passage to India, Howard's End, and A Room with a View. But if you choose Forster, you'd always have to force that 'r'.
    • Freya
      • Origin:

        Norse
      • Meaning:

        "a noble woman"
      • Description:

        Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning "Lady, noble woman", Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
    • Hadden
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "heathery hill"
      • Description:

        Rarely heard Hayden alternative -- though, mark our words, you'll spend your life correcting everyone's pronunciation and spelling.
    • Hamilton
      • Origin:

        English and Scottish
      • Meaning:

        "treeless hill"
      • Description:

        Unless it runs in your family, or Alexander Hamilton is your particular hero, you might consider something less imposing -- and without the teasable nickname Ham.
    • Lawson
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Lawrence"
      • Description:

        Appealing way, à la Dawson, to honor an ancestral Lawrence. Lawson is also an English pop rock band. Lawson has history or use that dates far back, but it fell off of the charts in 1950. The name resurfaced in 2001 and has been climbing since. Lawson has that surname feel and -son suffix that parents are loving in recent years.
    • Macsen
      • Origin:

        Welsh variation of Maximus, Latin
      • Meaning:

        "greatest"
      • Description:

        Macsen may sound like a modern invention, cousin to Jackson and Maxon, but it's a longtime Welsh variation of Maximus with evocative roots in legend. Macsen Wledig is another name for the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus, was played an important role in Welsh history and was further immortalized in a poem celebrating his dream about his lover Elen. Macsen also appears in Arthurian legend.
    • Mena
      • Origin:

        Spanish, diminutive of Filomena
      • Description:

        Actress Mena Suvari (named after an Egyptian hotel) made this name seem especially appealing. Mena is also a minor Roman goddess of fertility.