While Kieran is the class and most-used male form of this name, some people spell it Keiran in keeping with the female Keira, the version popularized by the gorgeous Ms. Knightley.

In the US, this variation is more popular than the original. Terrence has been in the US Top 1000 since 1920, but Terence has been left behind. Alternate spelling Terrance is the most popular iteration of the name.

Bryant has a longer history as a first name in the US than its father name Brian, ranking among the Top 1000 since the list began in 1880 while Brian only jumped on in 1925.

Distinctive Talmadge could be an Anglo-Saxon name and English surname that was originally given to a person who carried a knapsack or pack, for example, a traveller or a pedlar. It comes from the Old French word, "talemache".

Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.

This ancient royal Scottish name and its equally-correct spelling French variation Stuart had a brief vogue in midcentury America--it was Number 286 in 1955--dropped off the list completely in the nineties.

While it may sound a little dated, Lamar is a name that has never been outside the US Top 1000, but it is in danger of falling off the list.

It's hard to believe now that Herman was once, at the turn of the last century, a Top 50 name, remaining in the Top 100 until 1935, and even harder to imagine it making a comeback. But then again, our parents thought the same thing about Max and Jake. Consider the French Armand or Spanish Armando instead. Notable bearers include writers Herman Melville and Hermann Hesse--and then there was TV's Herman Munster.

Far more friendly and open than similar one-syllable names like Kent, Kurt, and Karl, it's been associated for more than half a century with actor Kirk Douglas, whose birth name was Issur Danielovitch Demsky.

This courtly old Southern name has several cool male bearers: NFL player Courtney Brown, British jazz musician Courtney Pine, and Barbados-born economist Courtney Blackman, to name but a few.

Marlin is a masculine name with multiple origins and meanings. It derives primarily from English surname traditions, originally denoting someone who lived near a small lake (mere) or possibly from the bird name 'merlin.' The name also inevitably brings to mind the marlin fish, a powerful ocean predator known for its strength and fighting spirit. Marlin gained modest popularity in the United States during the mid-20th century but remains relatively uncommon. The name carries associations with nature, the sea, and rugged independence. It combines traditional masculine qualities with distinctive character, making it appeal to parents seeking a name with strong imagery and outdoor connections without being overly common.

This presidential name is in style limbo today - or, some might say, in the the sweet spot of familiar but little-used.

Though as a formal name Rusty is a little, well, rusty, it spent half a century among the Top 1000, departing only in 1995. Only 45 baby boys received the name in the US in one recent year and it's difficult to imagine it as the winning choice of many modern parents. Whether you want an informal name or a spin on a traditional name or even a word name or a name that means red, there are simply too many better options.

Medieval name without much of a future.

A name that defines itself, a bit more curt in the harder K version.

Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which, strangely enough, was itself a Top 50 name in the fifties and sixties).

Once aristocratic British surname yet to be revived. Vince Vaughn recently gave his son the same double initials as his own when he named him Vernon Vaughn.

Old-school nickname ala Spike and Babe that's favored by some hipster parents.

Attractive British place-name with a sense of humor. Fun fact: John Wayne played five characters with the first or second name of Kirby.

King is a name that sends a mixed message. While some might think of it as more fitting for a canine, others see it as a strong name with offbeat style and a full court of rich associations, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Elvis.

King Vidor was an important early Hollywood director; King Camp Gillette invented the safety razor.

If it's king names you're after that aren't King itself, see our list of Names with Royal Meanings or other lists and blogs on royal names.