princessariel's list "favourites (m)" of 3 great name ideas: Montague - Lasse!

favourites (m)

The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo, Montague has a touch of old-fashioned grandeur about it. With clunky-cute nickname Monty and similar sounds to Montgomery, it has been used as a given name since at least the 18th century, with a number of English earls and baronets receiving the name, along with film director, Montague "Monty" Banks, journalist and radio host Montague Modlyn, and cricketer Montague Noble.
 
Ultimately derived from the Old French , the literary and aristocratic surname means "sharp mountain" or "pointy hill", giving it a nature connection too. Shakespeare took inspiration for the name from Dante's Divine Comedy in which the feuding families are called the Montecchi and the Cappelletti, Montecchi being the Italian equivalent of Montague, meaning "pointy" or "small" "mountain".
 
Given to just a handful of boys most years in the US, across the pond in England and Wales, it has seen increased use in the last decade. Its current peak was in 2018, when it was given to more than 50 boys, placing it in the Top 1000.

Montague

Jasper and its many international variations, from Kasper to Casper to Gaspard, is finding new popularity.

Kasper

Well used throughout The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, and Denmark, Lasse is a variation of Laurence, typically used as a nickname for the related Lars. While English speakers may be tempted to say "lass" or "lassie", the correct pronunciation would LA-suh in Denmark, LAHS-seh in Norway and Finland, and LA-seh in Sweden and Germany.
 
Notable bearers include film directors Lasse Hallström and Lasse Nielsen and ski racer Lasse Kjus.