Backstory: My husband I love vintage, not-too-common names and have a little girl named [name]Agatha[/name] to prove it We also have a list of gorgeous antique names ready for use if we have a baby girl. We are finding boys names much harder and when I posted our current list in here I got some feedback suggesting that some of the names just didnât âgoâ with [name]Agatha[/name] and/or werenât in that same vintage style.
So my question is; what boysâ names do you think fit the criteria of being vintage/antique/old fashioned, not too common (but not too out there either) and go well with [name]Agatha[/name]? The one sticking point is that many vintage male names sound a bit âsissyâ (for want of a better word, I donât really believe they are sissy). So names like [name]Cecil[/name] and [name]Cedric[/name] - while I can see that they fit most of my criteria, they are just too prissy for us to use. (Perhaps if I was living in a stately home in [name]England[/name] I would be braver!)
Please could you suggest some strong vintage boys names that arenât surnames? Thank you!
Iâm not sure whether youâre going more for vintage-classic or vintage-quirky, but Iâm guessing vintage-quirky. Some of these suggestions are more classic than others:
Aw thanks esrever, we are so glad we chose the name [name]Agatha[/name].
From your list [name]Silas[/name] is the one I like best. I really like that it has literary links too.
I probably should have said that we like English-sounding names for the most part. I know [name]Agatha[/name] is originally Greek but culturally has that English vibe.
Thatâs a good question holey! I would say we went vintage-quirky with [name]Agatha[/name] but are leaning towards vintage-classic with boys names. Itâs so hard to find old classic names that arenât too popular though! [name]Frederick[/name] would be my pick from your list. I also really like [name]Clement[/name] (and think its great with [name]Agatha[/name]) but not sure I could convince DH.
Thanks [name]Lori[/name]! I didnât know [name]Agatha[/name] was an â[name]Edna[/name]â name but it makes sense. I like a few of the names in your list but, with the exception of [name]Archibald[/name] and [name]Theodore[/name], suspect theyâd be too âout thereâ for my hard-to-please husband.
[name]Jules[/name] is perfect He is adventurous, manly, handsome and has a great personality
also
[name]Barnaby[/name] He is just adorable and cute and cuddly
and
[name]Sterling[/name] A man with style
This is exactly what I look for in boysâ names, and itâs definitely hard to find. I feel like [name]Edmund[/name] (my absolute favourite) manages to hit the mark. Iâd also second the suggestions of [name]Frederick[/name], [name]Theodore[/name], [name]Bertrand[/name] and [name]Bartholomew[/name]. Other options:
[name]Clifford[/name] (esp nn [name]Ford[/name], or even [name]Cliff[/name])
[name]Ernest[/name]
[name]Albert[/name]
[name]Alfred[/name]
[name]Alasdair[/name]/ [name]Alastair[/name]
[name]Arthur[/name]
[name]Conrad[/name]
[name]Duncan[/name]
[name]Hector[/name]
[name]Hugh[/name]/ [name]Hugo[/name]
[name]Jonas[/name]
[name]Otto[/name]
[name]Piers[/name]/ [name]Pierce[/name]
[name]Vincent[/name]
[name]Winston[/name]
Some of these may already have been mentioned, but it might be good to know that someone else also likes the name
With [name]Agatha[/name] as a sister, one of these would be nice:
[name]Augustus[/name] or [name]Augustin[/name]
[name]Edmund[/name]
[name]Bertram[/name]
[name]Byron[/name]
[name]Orson[/name]
[name]Walden[/name]
[name]Alistair[/name]
[name]Stellan[/name]
[name]Leon[/name]
[name]Moses[/name]
[name]Rufus[/name]
[name]Rupert[/name]
[name]Grover[/name]
[name]Quincy[/name]
[name]Abel[/name]
[name]Noble[/name]
Titch, you have the exact same criteria for a boyâs name as we do (and weâre in Australia too). Itâs a tough one!
Weâre ruled out traditional but popular names like [name]William[/name], [name]Thomas[/name] and [name]Oliver[/name]. At the same time we donât want names that are too ânerdyâ like [name]Herbert[/name] or [name]Walter[/name].
Names that weâve mulled over are -
[name]Arthur[/name] ([name]Art[/name] or [name]Artie[/name])
[name]Alfred[/name] ([name]Alfie[/name])
[name]Felix[/name]
[name]Frederic[/name]
[name]Solomon[/name]
[name]Amos[/name]
[name]Abraham[/name] ([name]Abe[/name])
[name]August[/name] or [name]Augustus[/name] ([name]Augie[/name] or [name]Gus[/name])
[name]Fergus[/name]
[name]Jude[/name]
[name]Abel[/name]
[name]Julian[/name]
[name]Miles[/name]
[name]Rory[/name]
As I said in response to your last post, [name]Agatha[/name] is a fabulous name. I still think [name]Theodore[/name] would work well with [name]Agatha[/name] but I note that your husband is not a fan. Iâm biased of course! Good luck and keep us posted.
Thanks [name]Rollo[/name], Iâm not keen on shortened names on their own and [name]Julian[/name] isnât my style. [name]Sterling[/name] feels a bit âDynastyâ somehow and [name]Barnaby[/name] is definitely cute but I canât imagine it on a thirty year old man somehow.
[name]Caroline[/name] it is so hard isnât it, so much easier with girlsâ names of this sort. I like [name]Edmund[/name] too and [name]Theodore[/name] is already on my list, I like the nn [name]Bertie[/name] (Iâm crazy about P.G. Wodehouse and [name]Bertie[/name] Wooster and Jeeves) but I might prefer [name]Bertram[/name] over [name]Bertrand[/name]. DH has already vetoed [name]Bartholomew[/name]. Some good names on your list but none are THE [name]ONE[/name]. Does THE [name]ONE[/name] even exist I wonder??
Thank you [name]Mischa[/name] for all the suggestions, [name]Felix[/name] is one I hadnât considered and DH really likes it so itâs going on the list! And you have reminded me of a name I considered before we know [name]Agatha[/name] was a girl â [name]Benedict[/name]. I love it and think my husband might too!
Niteowl it is good to know if other people like a few of the same names, especially with the slightly more unusual ones. [name]Edmund[/name] has come up a few times which is interesting. We have discussed [name]Edward[/name] and [name]Edwin[/name] but not [name]Edmund[/name] yet so itâs a definite maybe. I really like [name]Moses[/name] but think it might be too âout thereâ for my DH sadly.
Bigsweater I have never heard of the name Soames. [name]Do[/name] you know what it means/where it comes from?
[name]Elea[/name] thanks for your list, there are a few standouts for me; [name]Amos[/name] and [name]Fraser[/name] in particular.
Thanks cbuxton. You understand our dilemma have it exactly! I think [name]Theodore[/name] is great and my husband does love [name]Theo[/name] so I am sure I could persuade him if need be, although it would be nice if we could both agree on something that really grabbed us. We have many of the same names as you on our list and I really like the others. I especially like [name]Abraham[/name] but again my boring, I mean conservative, husband is the sticking point LOL.
Titch, it sounds as if youâre making some progress and I really appreciate your responsiveness to all these great suggestions. I think [name]Felix[/name], [name]Edmund[/name], [name]Benedict[/name], [name]Amos[/name], and [name]Theo[/name] are all fantastic companions with [name]Agatha[/name] and definitely fit the vintage-quirky yet masculine and not-too-out-there criteria. I do love [name]Lionel[/name] too, which I know someone mentioned, along with [name]Leopold[/name], though they may be more âout thereâ or sissified than the other choices. These may be too âout thereâ too, but just to offer a few more options: [name]Montgomery[/name]/[name]Monty[/name], [name]Otis[/name], [name]Romulus[/name], [name]Inigo[/name], [name]Homer[/name].
Wanted to comment on [name]Agatha[/name] being an [name]Edna[/name] name. In the nearly 20 (!!!) years since 1994, [name]Agatha[/name] has transcended dowdiness and become more chic/stylish, while Iâm afraid [name]Edna[/name] herself is still back there in a faded housedress. In our original Beyond [name]Jennifer[/name] & [name]Jason[/name], which came out in 1988, we grouped [name]Agatha[/name] with the [name]Baby[/name] Men & Women names â a grownup-sounding and at the time really âout thereâ group. But some of those names have become positively trendy: [name]Beatrice[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name], [name]Ella[/name], [name]Eve[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Imogen[/name], [name]Madeleine[/name], [name]Natalie[/name], and for boys, [name]Gus[/name], [name]Harry[/name], [name]Joseph[/name]. Amazing!
They are thorns in our cool baby-naming sides cbuxton!
Thank you [name]Pam[/name], I love Nameberry and all the great people who take the time to offer suggestions and make comments; it really helps with the short listing process. Your suggestion of [name]Montgomery[/name]/[name]Monty[/name] is great and is one for my list I think.
Thanks for the update on the [name]Edna[/name] names, I agree that [name]Agatha[/name] has moved on, it has a real spark that [name]Edna[/name] is missing in my (biased) opinion. [name]Eleanor[/name], [name]Imogen[/name] and [name]Beatrice[/name] are all on our girls list so that is clearly my style
Thanks [name]Lauren[/name]-[name]Kay[/name] I agree [name]Jasper[/name] is great but itâs the name of my (long term) ex boyfriend so it would feel a bit weird to use it! [name]Barnaby[/name] feels a bit babyish for a man somehow but [name]Alisdair[/name] is one I hadnât considered - will put it to DH.
Well I came in to pitch support for [name]Edmund[/name] and [name]Alastair[/name] but I see they are well covered.
[name]Cyrus[/name] has already been mentioned but I do love it. It slightly edges [name]Silas[/name] for me (but I do like [name]Silas[/name]).
Is [name]Thaddeus[/name] an option? I rather like [name]Thaddeus[/name]. To me it has all the appeal of [name]Theodore[/name] without the comparative popularity, and I like [name]Thad[/name] as much as I like [name]Theo[/name] and more than [name]Ted[/name].
[name]Lemuel[/name] is one of those odd eccentric antiquities I donât think sounds feminine. I am much fonder of it and [name]Kemuel[/name] than I am of [name]Samuel[/name]. I have known Lemuels [name]IRL[/name] itâs not just a only-on-Nameberry name, though admittedly at least two of them would be over a hundred now if they were still alive.
[name]Agatha[/name] is such a great name, itâs hard to pair up something equally unusual-but-heard of, which is a nice balance.
Speaking of classic names that are in infrequent rotation, my sister has just made an impassioned defense of [name]George[/name], which made me reevaluate it slightly, I canât say I had ever pictured [name]George[/name] on an infant. I still prefer [name]Gideon[/name], though.
We also have a list of gorgeous antique names ready for use if we have a baby girl. We are finding boys names much harder and when I posted our current list in here I got some feedback suggesting that some of the names just didnât âgoâ with [name]Agatha[/name] and/or werenât in that same vintage style.