so I’d want his name to be memorable, but simple, and have a sarcastic, dark academic feel to it. names like Thaddeus wouldn’t work; I’d like his name to sound simple and realistic. he’s a scientist and realist, and very introverted. some name ideas I have already:
Mendel
Sebastian (might be too out there)
Rhys
Allen
Monroe
Adair (again, might be too out there)
Henry (don’t like the Henry Jekyll connotations but the sound is good)
first of all, i wouldn’t consider sebastian as “out there”! it’s a international, popular, and well-known name, and i think the nn “bastian” is perfectly memorable and dark acedemia. i would never make the connection between henry and henry jekyll.
what about…
erwin
claude
nicholas / nico / nick / cole
charles
abner
poe
harris / harrison
lewis / louis
archer
hayes
rupert
lawrence / laurence
ellis
miles / milo
bennett
everett
flynn
august
jude
ezra
jasper
theo
oliver
leo / lev
sawyer
asher
felix
silas
micah
arthur
oscar
Personally, Bastian/Bastien (instead of Sebastian) or [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] would be my top picks for a character like that. I typically think of [name_u]Henry[/name_u] as a side-character name for more modern books (not in a bad way), because although it’s popularity is rising more in recent times, the current trend for names is a more unique twist. Some additional choices I would consider:
[name_m]Hatcher[/name_m]
[name_u]Adrian[/name_u]
[name_u]Kieran[/name_u]
[name_m]Xavier[/name_m]
[name_m]Philip[/name_m]
I also don’t consider [name_u]Adair[/name_u] to be “out there”, but if it’s too unique, [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] does make a good variation on that.
I think my favorite from your list is [name_u]Rhys[/name_u]. That one fits your description the best, to me anyway.
Here are some options off the top of my head that I think have a strong sound, and work especially on a grown man:
[name_m]Clark[/name_m]
[name_m]Victor[/name_m]
[name_m]Paul[/name_m]
[name_m]Stefan[/name_m]
[name_m]Colin[/name_m]
[name_u]Chris[/name_u]
[name_m]Terrence[/name_m]
And here are the names of a few actual scientists:
[name_u]Charles[/name_u]
[name_m]Albert[/name_m]
[name_m]Carl[/name_m]
[name_m]Isaac[/name_m]
[name_m]Ernst[/name_m]
[name_m]Dmitri[/name_m]
[name_m]Stephen[/name_m]
[name_u]Claude[/name_u]
[name_u]John[/name_u]
Nicolaus