This is a mix of opinions, associations, and the personalities I picture. Forgive me if some of my comments seem a little harsh, I’ve been off my coffee all week!
[name]Caleb[/name] - strong, with a quiet, understated reliability. No epic stories sung of his mighty deeds, his is a more unassuming heroism.
[name]Connor[/name] - here are the epic stories of mighty deeds…[name]Connor[/name] is unabashedly strong, a superman type, always needing to be where the action is.
[name]Corbin[/name] - [name]Dallas[/name]. very nineties sci-fi, with the Fifth Element’s bulky guns, the infamous multipass, and [name]Bruce[/name] [name]Willis[/name] in an orange mesh A-shirt.
[name]Dante[/name] - it is impossible for me to give an unbiased opinion of this name, as it belongs to my abusive ex.
[name]Enzo[/name] - not a fan…at best it’s [name]Lorenzo[/name] without the Lor, at worst it’s a puppet mashup between [name]Sesame[/name] [name]Street[/name]‘s [name]Elmo[/name] and [name]Gonzo[/name] from the Muppets.
[name]Grayson[/name] - I prefer [name]Grey[/name]. “[name]Son[/name] of the gray haired” has nothing to give.
[name]Griffin[/name] - A lion-hearted, eagle-eyed warrior, tawny and fierce, wild and gentle and strong. [name]Love[/name] it.
[name]Ian[/name] - Seems like it’s missing something, or like it’s a nickname for one of the longer -ian names like [name]Sebastian[/name] or [name]Damian[/name] or [name]Fabian[/name] or [name]Lucian[/name].
[name]Kevin[/name] - I’m partial to this, as it’s my hubby’s name It’s meaning “kind, gentle, and handsome” totally fits him. That being said, it is more of a name for our generation rather than our children’s generation…it would be kind of like finding a [name]Gerald[/name] or a [name]Vera[/name] amidst the Davids and Karens of our parents’ circles.
[name]Lee[/name] - Not a fan at all. Nicknames, filler names, middle names, surnames…this one has been run so far into the ground that all we need to do is erect a tombstone and call it good.
[name]Leo[/name] - Not my personal style, but this is a great name. [name]Leo[/name] is magnanimous and noble, all shining golden warmth.
[name]Levi[/name] - aside from the clothing brand (which in the South is synonymous with denim. You don’t put on your jeans, you put on your Levis, whether they’re made by Old [name]Navy[/name] or [name]Gucci[/name]), [name]Levi[/name] is a great option. He has sort of a rugged spunk, all cowboy flannel and deep blue eyes, friendly deference, and helping hands.
[name]Marco[/name] - [name]Polo[/name]. Sorry! It’s inevitable…I know the name is supposed to be associated with the god [name]Mars[/name], but all I get is the famous explorer and blind games of tag in the swimming pool.
[name]Preston[/name] - a very haughty, upper-crust, pinky-finger-extended sort of a name. Probably a combination of the audible similarity to the word “prissy” and the posh-surnames-as-first-names trend that is associated with the old money sort, or those who would like to be perceived as such.
[name]Rhett[/name] - [name]Butler[/name]…I’ve never understood why Gone with the Wind was able to romanticize this name. He was a colossal jerk with a weird mustache. He and [name]Scarlett[/name] utterly deserved each other, the selfish creatures.
[name]Rocco[/name] - stucco, or [name]Rocky[/name] Balboa…neither is a very flattering association.
[name]Ronan[/name] - I have a growing soft spot for this name…it has so much history and I love the meaning. I see a young man with rich dark hair and eyes like the ocean. Given the similarity to popular names such as [name]Roman[/name] and [name]Rowan[/name], this name will be accepted easily into the modern world, but still retains its aura of mystery.
[name]Travis[/name] - one of those great under-the-radar familiar names. Not too common, not too unusual, and it has a lovely meaning: “crossroads”
As you can see, I like [name]Caleb[/name], [name]Connor[/name], [name]Griffin[/name], [name]Leo[/name], [name]Levi[/name], [name]Ronan[/name], and [name]Travis[/name]. I enjoy [name]Corbin[/name] and [name]Kevin[/name], but I’m not sure they’re right for a baby of today. [name]Griffin[/name], [name]Leo[/name], and [name]Ronan[/name] are by far my favorites. Good luck narrowing the list!!