Of Knights & Heroes

Orpheus

Greek mythology name

"the darkness of the night"

Name of the legendary ancient Greek poet and musician — whose music was so beautiful it made trees dance and rivers stop to listen — would provide a child with a challenging but indelible identity.

Osric

English

"divine ruler"

Clad in armor. But while this name may have been forbiddingly antiquated not that long ago, the connection to the trendy nickname Os or Oz makes it a real possibility.

Oswin

Old English

"God's friend"

Ancient name, near obsolete now, but could make a good alternative to Owen for the adventurous baby namer. Doctor Who fans will recognize this as part of his companion's name, Clara Oswin Oswald.

Paladin

French

"of the palace"

This title of honor given to Charlemagne's twelve best knights would be prized as a name by most sword-loving little boys.

Percival

French

"one who pierces the valley"

There are several Percivals scattered through the Harry Potter series, which might help transform the old-fangled, fussy image it has accrued. Actually, the original Percival was the one perfectly…

Peregrine

Latin

"traveler, pilgrim"

Peregrine is considered to be an elegantly aristocratic name in England, but has never made it to the U.S., where it has been seen as extravagantly eccentric. In the new naming climate, though, it's…

Perion

Perion is a masculine name with multiple possible origins. It may derive from ancient Greek, potentially related to names like Periander, meaning 'very manly.' Alternatively, it could be a variation…

Perseus

Greek

"to destroy"

Perseus is an up-and-coming name with a plenty going for it, so it's no wonder it's almost tripled in usage since the 2010s. Given to nearly 170 boys in the US in a recent year, Perseus ticks the…

Philemon

Greek

"kiss"

Rarely heard New Testament name -- he was a friend of Saint Paul -- that might conceivably stand up to modern usage.

Phineas

English, Egyptian

"the Nubian, the bronze-colored one"

Phineas is the English variation of Phinehas, a Hebrew name likely derived from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi. Pa-nehasi, meaning "the Nubian" can also be translated as "the bronze-colored one." The…

Piran

Cornish

"little dark one"

It may be a longshot – especially since it was given to less than 5 boys in the US in 2021 – but Piran could conceivably be a future Kieran, which is shaping up to being the next Kevin. Piran is the…

Priam

Greek mythology name

In ancient Greek mythology, a Trojan king with fifty children; in the modern world it sounds more like a computer language or environmentally correct car.

Ptolemy

Greek

"aggressive, warlike"

Pronounced "TAHL-a-mee," this was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals and several Greco-Egyptian rulers, as well as the name of a famous Greek astronomer. Actress Gretchen Mol brought…