Rare and Underused in 2022

Alonzo

Italian diminutive of Alphonso

"noble, ready"

Alonzo is dashing and debonair, with a large measure of Latin flair. You may be surprised to know that Alonzo has been on the Most Popular list since 1880, when such records began to be kept, at…

Marcel

French variation of Marcellus

"little warrior"

Marcel, despite distinguished namesakes including Proust and Duchamp, suffers from a terminal headwaiter image in this country. But along with its sister name Marcella and French variation (and…

Enoch

Hebrew

"dedicated"

A major figure in the Old Testament, Enoch was the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah whose Book of Enoch provides a focal point for ancient Jewish mysticism.…

Marlon

French

"little hawk"

Associated for half a century with Marlon Brando, who inherited the French-inflected name from his father, Marlon has been especially well used by African-Americans, including the Jackson and Wayans…

Glenn

Scottish

"valley"

Glenn appealed to a lot of post-World War II parents for its cool, leafy image, also calling up the Big Band sounds of Glenn Miller and the calm, composed image of actor Glenn Ford, whose name at…

Cosmo

Italian, English, Greek

"order, beauty, universe"

With a touch of celestial power, a hint of clunky charm, and the totally cool -o ending, Cosmo may well be finally shaking itself free of both the Seinfeld association (which made it a punchline of a…

Jacques

French variation of James and Jacob

"supplanter"

Regal and ancient feeling, Jacques has been declining in popularity in its native France, but in the UK, it saw a surprising revival in 2022. Jumping from somewhere around the #2500 mark straight to…

Nigel

Irish

"dark, black-haired"

A name that Yanks might see as overly British, but combined with the right surname, it does have a measure of Sherlock Holmesian dash via Nigel Bruce, who played the original Dr. Watson to Basil…

Elton

English

"from the old town"

Elton is an unassuming, lesser-used place name belonging to several towns in the British Isles, the US and Canada, and even a lake in Russia. The singer Elton John gives it a bit of extra pizzazz.

Clive

English

"lives near a high cliff"

Clive started life as a surname for someone who lived near a cliff, making it a secret outdoorsy name. Its use as a first name began in honor of Robert Clive (aka Clive of India), an…

Ananias

Hebrew

"God has given"

Ananias is a New Testament name of three different figures. The two good ones were a high priest and a disciple of Paul. The not good Ananias was the husband of Sapphira who conspired to deceive the…

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."…

Carlisle

English

"from the walled city"

This stuffy English surname and hotel name took on Twilight cool when attached to vampire Carlisle Cullen. Inspired by the character, it's more popular in this spelling than as Carlyle and more…

Herschel

Herschel is a masculine name of Yiddish origin, derived from 'Hirsch' meaning 'deer' or 'stag,' symbolizing gentleness and swiftness. It was traditionally used as a diminutive of the Hebrew name…

Wilfred

English

"desires peace"

Wilfred is one of those Old Man Names that still sounds fusty in the US but is fashionable in the UK. It comes with readymade short forms Will, Wilf, or Fred and might make an adventurous alternative…

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.…