Vote by alancleaver_2000 via Flickr

It’s poll time again!  Usually when we vote I’m secretly rooting for one or two of the names.  This time?  They’re all my favorites.

Here’s hoping you’re more decisive than I am!

The top two names will be profiled on March 27 and March 28, respectively.  Voting stays open ’til Tuesday.

Photo by Phillie Casablanca via Flickr

I don’t have much patience for the idea that every name is clearly and unambiguously gendered.  I’ve defended borrowing conventionally masculine names for girls before, and I often find so-called boys’ names on girls downright appealing.

If there is one thing that irks me it is the idea that once a name goes girl, it can’t come back.  Now this isn’t exactly true – names tend to rise for both genders at the same time.  But when a name hits the big time for girls – Avery or Madison, for example – parents of boys do tend to cross it off their lists, and the few parents that had recently bestowed it on a son, well … they’re often found on baby name forums insisting that everyone needs to stop stealing Bailey.

So this week’s list are my top picks for boyish girls names we’re likely to cautiously reconsider for our sons – eventually.

Ashley – Yes, we hear this sound as feminine today – so feminine that I can’t really imagine it on a boy.  But that’s true of almost any ends-in-ley or -lee name these days – they can read girly circa 2012.  Think Kenley, Linley, Hadley.  But before you dismiss this one as permanently assigned to Team Pink’s roster, consider that first Ashton (#126 in 2010) and now Asher (#139) have gained in recent decades.  Parents like Ash- names – for both genders, and certainly for boys.  Give Ashley a few decades, and he could be all Southern gentleman once more.

Madison – With the exception of Madison Smart Bell, this name wasn’t much known until a mermaid met Tom Hanks on the big screen.  The fish tale made Madison a possibility for girls, with feminine short form Maddie and a similar sound to conventionally feminine – and stylish – Allison.  And yet Madison feels like Harrison and Anderson - names parents have embraced for their sons.  Fast-forward five decades, and can’t you imagine some of the first wave of female Madisons holding their namesake grandsons, all nicknamed Matt?

Shannon – Madison and Ashley are still school-aged, but how ’bout Shannon?  It’s been ages since this Irish appellation caught on for both genders.  Shannon peaked in 1976 at #98 for boys – but #17 for girls.  Now that Shannon is firmly a mom name, and the 1976 single “Shannon” is gone, he sounds strangely boyish once more, a mix of Sean and all those ends-in-n boy names.

Jane – Okay, this is cheating.  Jane has never been a boys’ name, not anywhere in the English-speaking world.  But the small screen wants us to consider the possibility.  Characters on Firefly and The Mentalist have both answered to the traditionally feminine form of John.  Strong man Jayne Cobb appeared on Firefly, and wicked smart Patrick Jane helps solve crimes on The Mentalist.  Could Jane catch on for boys?  It’s a long shot.  But on sound alone, Zane, Thane, Lane, Cain, Dane, Jane … not as out there as it seems at first.

Reese – Ms. Witherspoon, I adore you.  But I was disappointed when I realized that your given name – well, actually your extra-middle-turned-professional-name – was more popular for girls than boys.  Rhys is still dominant for boys, with all his Welsh hero cool.  But Reese shares sounds with Patrice and Clarice and now shares a playground with Emma and Sophie.  Despite the numbers, I suspect Reese is more akin to Peyton than Madison.  Parents will keep Reese on their boys’ list anyhow – at least until their neighbor/co-worker/college roommate uses it for a girl.

Tracey – 30 Rock makes Tracy masculine, and Trace Adkins has made his name cowboy cool.  Could Tracey make a comeback?  He’s a masculine name in a Charles Dickens novel, and probably comes from a place name derived from Thrace – an ancient territory located in modern-day Turkey and Bulgaria.  But today we tend to think of Tracey as a short form for Theresa.  Still, Trace has been floating around the boys’ Top 1000 for two decades, suggesting that some parents like the sound for a son.

Alexis – In much of the world, Alexis is a guy – always has been.  In the US, Dynasty helped cement this one as an option for our daughters, peaking at #3 in 1999.  But Alexis fared well for boys in the same period, peaking at #103 in 2004, and still ranking #219. Alexander and Alexandra have been wildly popular in recent years, with oodles of spin-off names riding their coattails.  Chances are that they’re all due for hibernation, but when they come back in a few more generations, I think it is anyone’s guess which gender will claim Alexis.

Courtney – Like Tracey and Shannon, courtly Courtney is firmly a mom name these days – and one of those moms is a Kardashian.  It is easy to overlook Courtney’s masculine roots, but parents are using names like Corbin, Cormac, Courtland, and even Cortez for their sons.

Cary – There’s dashing Hollywood icon Cary Grant, and The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes.  Of all the names on this list, Cary is among the most wearable for a boy today.  Sure, we’re calling our daughters Caroline - and some will surely answer to Carrie.  But boys’ names like Carter and Carson are wildly popular, and there’s Corey, too.  Throw in all of those Irish surnames, like Brady and Riley, and Cary starts to feel as boyish as William.

Kelly – I’ve saved the best for last.  Despite peaking as a girl’s name in the 1970s, Kelly has a long history of use for boys.  Plenty of uber-masculine figures have answered to the surname: there’s Australian Robin Hood-figure Ned Kelly, and Clint Eastwood’s 1970-turn in World War II flick Kelly’s Heroes, where the good guys make off with German gold.  Actress Holly Marie Combs has sons called Finley Arthur, Riley Edward, and Kelley James.  In that company, Kelly is effortlessly masculine.

I’ve left plenty of names off this list.  Evelyn is unlikely to ever feel boyish again, between Eve and that -lyn ending.  Addison strikes me as a less-likely comeback for similar reasons.  But I do think that parents are willing to take more risks with their kids’ names than ever before.  If Jayden can chart in the Top Ten, surely we can consider Kelly a classic Irish surname pick for a boy.

Are there others that you think should be considered for boys?  Which of these do you think is most likely to make a comeback?

Elijah and the Angel; Image via Wikipedia

This Biblical powerhouse is at his most popular ever – could he follow Noah into the Top Ten?

Thanks to Saranel for suggesting her son’s name, Elijah, as our Baby Name of the Day.

Elijah has never been out of the US Top 1000.  Whether the top boys’ name was John or Jason or Jacob, some parents were always attracted to this ancient name with religious overtones.

Elijah is a big deal in the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament and the Quran.  He’s a significant figure to Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

Elijah comes from Eliyahu – Yahweh is my God.  He’s nearly as international as James or Michael.  Besides Elijah, there’s Elias, Elia, and Ilia, to name a few.

The Good Book tells us that the original bearer of the name was a ninth century BC prophet, and an advocate for the worship of Yahweh over other gods.  He performed various astonishing feats, like raising the dead.  Depending on the account, Elijah was rewarded for his faith by riding up to heaven in a chariot drawn by fiery horses, or maybe on a whirlwind.  Later, in the New Testament, both Jesus and John the Baptist are compared to the ancient prophet.  He even makes a cameo, along with Moses, later in the story.  His account is the Quran is similar to that of the Old Testament – Elijah insists on the worship of the true God, rather than Ba’al.

All of this makes Elijah feel terribly religious, perhaps not a great choice for the non-observant.  But that’s not necessarily true.  Elijah commands a place not just in traditional scripture, but in countless folk traditions.  I’ve always been charmed by the Jewish custom of leaving a place for Elijah at the Passover table, but there’s much more.  Depending on the tradition, Elijah is responsible for:

• Summer storms, especially thunder, in southern Slavic cultures.
• Lightning – he’s often associated with Zeus and other similar gods.
• Mountains, especially mountaintops.  It was on Mount Carmel that Elijah drew down fire to light an altar to Yahweh, besting the prophets of Baal.
• The sun – in fact, his story is often mixed up with that of Helios, the Greek sun god who pulled his chariot across the sky to start the day.

Modern uses are plentiful, especially if you count Elias – Walt Disney’s dad was Elias, and Willem Dafoe played Sergeant Elias Grodin in war flick Platoon.  If we focus only on modern Elijahs, there’s actor Elijah Wood and Cher’s musician son Elijah Blue.

In this light, Elijah is simply a classic that we hadn’t fully embraced in the US – until now.

At the close of the nineteenth century he was in the Top 200, but he fell steadily until the 1980s.  Buoyed up by the rise of the Biblical boys, Elijah was quickly embraced.  And why not?  He has tremendous religious significance, as well as a broad cross-cultural appeal.  He works in many languages, and fits in with those masculine, but softer-sounding names so many parents favor today.

Elijah’s appeal is his only real drawback.  He’s been in the Top 100 since 1995, reached #18 in 2010, and shows no signs of stopping.  If you don’t mind sharing, he’s a great choice – ancient and modern, all at once.

Asha (Photo credit: zigazou76)

There’s a category of names that feels especially at home in the twenty-first century: the non-specifically exotic.  They’re not Arabic or Mandarin or Hawaiian, exactly.  They’re just not exactly European, even though they often share the same sounds.  Think of all those kids you’ve met called Maya and Kai.

Thanks to Pree for suggesting another one that fits in this camp.  Our Baby Name of the Day is Asha.

The successful non-specifically exotic names tend to feel right at home with popular English choices, and Asha is no exception.  The once-masculine Ashley was a superstar for girls in the 1980s, and Asher is on the rise now.  Asha is unrelated, and she takes a slightly different vowel-sound, rhyming with Sasha and Tasha, speaking of vaguely exotic choices.

She’s also had a run at the US Top 1000, debuting in 1989 at an impressive #796, but never gaining, and leaving the list entirely after 2000.

Too bad, because regardless which origin story you follow, Asha feels auspicious.  Her first possible meaning is life, from a Swahili word, putting her in the company of white-hot celeb tot appellation Vida, though she often appears in English as Aisha.  In Sanskrit, she means wish or hope – a virtue name of non-Christian derivation.

There’s even more to Asha, though.  Zoroastrianism was once a major religion, and its sacred text was written in Avestan.  Like ancient Aramaic or Old Church Slavonic, we know most of the language through its use in sacred works.  In Avestan, asha means something along the lines of truth.  She’s bigger than a name like Verity, though.  Asha implies a sort of universal justice and order, too, and she’s symbolized by fire.

Most famous Ashas hail from India, like Bollywood staple Asha Bhosle.  She’s contributed to countless movie soundtracks.  This long-working grandmother has been Grammy-nominated and named to the Guiness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist – she made her first studio recording in 1947.  She’s not better known because technically Bhosle is a playback singer – other actors lip-sync to tracks she has recorded.  But in 1997, a relatively obscure British band called Cornership recorded a modestly successful single in her honor, “Brimful of Asha.”  Fatboy Slim remixed it, and Bhosle’s reputation got a boost in the West.

A few other Indian notables answer to the name, and she’s a good cross-cultural option.  Coronation Street characters Dev and Sunita Alahan welcomed twins in 2006 – a son called Aadi and daughter Asha.

That might’ve boosted her slightly in the English-speaking world, but odds are that it is science fiction that gets the real credit:

• Dark Angel launched the career of Jessica Alba.  Second season character and resistance member Asha Barlow brought this name to a wider audience in the early 2000s.
• George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is better known an HBO original series A Game of Thrones.  The books include a character named Asha Greyjoy – but she was re-named Yara for the television adaptation.

Call that second one a near-miss.  Asha is still awaiting wider exposure.  For now, she’s a great culture-spanning choice, and an appealing member of that particularly attractive group of exotics.

She’s a lioness with a certain European flair.

Thanks to Shannon for suggesting Leonie as our Baby Name of the Day.

Like all of the Leo names, Leonie comes from the Latin word for lion.  Saints and emperors have answered to Leo.  Throw in the Old English element leof - beloved – and a few other sources, and you have even more names in this group: Leon, Leonardo, Leofric, Leona, Leontia.  They’re broadly pan-European, and while some have fallen out of use over the centuries, they make for a truly enduring bunch.  You can probably find someone of note with a Leo name in every century.

In fact, Leonie appeared in the US Top 1000 most years from 1880 through 1907.  Today she’s on the upswing in France – where’s she actually Léonie – and she’s huge in German-speaking countries, too.

While Leonie is unknown in the US – fewer than two dozen girls received the name in 2010 – she’s not unwearable.  With Leah at #24 for girls, and plenty of L- names in vogue, she’s an unusual name that isn’t off trend.  And Leo re-entered the boys’ Top 200 last year, with no signs of slowing down.

Famous Leonies might come to mind, like:

• Opera gives us Austrian-born soprano Leonie Rysanek.  In this case, Leonie was a short form of the elaborate Leopoldine.
• If you’ve ever toured historic homes in Long Beach, California, an imposing English Tudor style mansion called the Leonie Pray House might’ve made your list.  Leonie was the Paris-born bride of a Los Angeles attorney.  The couple was famous for entertaining.  Even if you’ve never set foot in California, you might’ve seen the home – it has made cameos in movies and television, including Beverly Hills, 90210.
• Brooklyn-born pooet Leonie Adams served as US Poet Laureate from 1948-1949.
• French nun Leonie Duquet moved to Argentina in the 1970s to work with the poor through the human rights group Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.  Duquet was arrested and killed by the military regime.
• A 2010 film told the story of New York-born Leonie Gilmour.  She became the editor to Japanese writer Yone Noguchi, and possibly his wife, during his time in New York, and eventually moved to Japan.  Together they are the parents of sculptor Isamu Noguchi, and Leonie is also the mother of dancer Ailes Gilmour.  For a woman in the early 1900s, she must have led a wildly unconventional life, and her biography was captured in a Japanese film titled Leonie last year.

Italian model-actress Monica Bellucci and French actor Vincent Cassel named their younger daughter Leonie in 2010.  (Big sis is Deva.)

All together it makes for an intriguing appellation: vintage and elegant, but also quirky, artistic, even defiant.  The average Leonie is quite fierce.  If you’re attracted to the sound of Lily and Lila and Leah but want something more distinctive, Leonie is one to consider.

Rowan, Willow, Linden, and … Maple?

Yup, thanks to Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka, our Baby Name of the Day is Maple.

When they welcomed firstborn Francesca Nora five years ago, Jason and Amanda made the list of celeb parents who choose stylish-but-sane names for their offspring.  The second time around?  Maple is being lumped with Apple and Blue Ivy.

Given the popularity of nature names, I’m not entirely sure that’s fair.  Maple comes from the Old English mapultreow, which translates to maple tree.  Some suggest that it links back to a word for knob or offshoot, but that’s far from certain.  Unlike many a nature name, a maple is just a maple.

A maple leaf, on the other hand, is the national symbol of Canada.  The trees have long been admired for their strength.  French settlers along the Saint Lawrence River adopted the maple leaf as their emblem.  It took.  The first mayor of Montreal embraced the maple leaf as a symbol; it was added to the coats of arms of both Ontario and Quebec in the 1860s.  Coins and military uniforms used the symbol, too.  Though it wasn’t until 1965 when the Canadian flag was introduced, with its distinctive eleven-point leaf, that the government officially endorsed the iconic maple leaf design we know today.

That could explain some of the motivation for baby Bateman’s appellation: I can’t confirm where Amanda was born, but her dad – singer Paul Anka – is a native of Ottawa.

There are other associations, of course.  Maple is frequently used in musical instruments from guitars to cellos to drums, making her a cousin to Cadence and Harmony.

Sound alone also makes Maple quite current:

• M remains a popular letter.  Madison and Mia both rank in the US Top Ten, and plenty of other M-names – Maya, Madeline, and Mariah spring to mind – in the Top 100.  It’s also the first letter of two enduring classics, Margaret and Mary.
• That long a is the vowel sound that has dominated our age, found in names as different in style as Ava and Hailey, Kaylee and Grace.
• Her -l dominated ending is also current, from Abigail to Gabrielle.
• That first syllable has been catching on, with parents considering the short, sweet, complete Mae or May as a first and middle name.  In 2010, Mae re-entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in forty years.
• Then there’s Irish appellation Maeve, up to #536 in 2010, as well as other up-and-comers, like Mad About You-inspired Mabel, retro Maisie, and mademoiselle Maëlle.
• While this little Maple will celebrate a February birthday, I can’t help think of fall leaves when I hear this name – which links Maple to one more Top 100 choice: Autumn.

All this talk of Mae- names makes me think of one more: Arrested Development’s Maeby, niece to Jason Bateman’s character, Michael Bluth.

Maple feels like a winning choice in the middle spot, and a possibility as a given name, too.  Like Cedar , this one also strikes me as truly gender neutral, still up for grabs for parents seeking an unexpected nature name for a son – even though this little starbaby could help put Maple on Team Pink.

Overall, Maple is not truly shocking – instead, she’s right on trend, her sound and her style compatible with today’s most popular names.  Yet she’s likely to make daffiest celeb baby name lists – if only because we all expected Francesca’s little sis to have a more conventional appellation.

Number 19 by Moe via Flickr

I’ve mentioned a few times that I live just outside of Washington DC, but it strikes me that I probably take the staggering diversity in my community for granted.  I was reading the honor roll at a local middle school and while there were a few kids called Jacob or Emily, they were definitely in the minority.  From the list: Zierra, Christmene, Tu, Blissful, Elvis, Vitelio, Joseline, Edith, Abner, Lilibeth, Davino, Octavia, Paola, Favour, Judith, Elida, Galilea, and Giselle, plus a few first-middle combos: Sofia Sabrina, William Lisandro, Oscar Alexi, Michael Courtney, Celestin Georgia, Norma Elisabat, and Maya Antoinette.  If you live in a large urban area, I’m inclined to say that anything goes.

• Forget Washington DC, every time I read one of For Real’s London posts, I have the urge to trade one city for another, if only so I could stalk expectant mums and ask if they which extra middle names they were considering for their little Horatio or Faris.
• I kind of like Ryu, one I’d never considered until I read this profile from Isadora.
• J’adore Jette and Jetta, Volkswagon reference aside …
• What’s your favorite from Nook’s Artistic Names of Artists list?  I’m partial to Cassatt, but there are some really wearable options here.
• I’m endlessly fascinated by how we classify names.  This comment at Swistle is a great example: “For first names we tend to like longer, three syllable names, kind of old fashioned or elegant but not REALLY out-there old fashioned (i.e. I like Meredith but would probably not consider anything like Gertrude or Winifred).”  On the one hand, the comment reflects Meredith’s slight edge in the popularity contest.  She ranked #603 in 2010, while the other names were unranked in recent years.  And yet Meredith is falling, while the other names might be closer to making a comeback.  Just like Beatrice or Eleanor felt hopelessly fusty a few years back and are now rather stylish, popularity rankings aren’t fixed conditions – but we treat them as if they are.
• Did you see this study?  I agree.  Riley re-spelled Rhylea is more of a problem than Pilot, and plenty of names have multiple valid spellings.
• Design Mom’s series Living With Kids continues to inspire – not only are the houses always gorgeous and often DIY’d, the kids have such great names.  This week’s entry includes brothers named Henry and Conrad.  I am irrationally happy to see a Conrad!
• Did you see Waltzing More than Matilda’s list of Girls Names of Australian Aboriginal Origin?  Fascinating list.
• Let’s end with a name Swistle mentioned: Patton.  She’s right – he should be going gangbusters.  He’s a modern spin on classic Patrick, and Patton Oswalt – named after General Patton – keeps the name in the spotlight.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!

Photo by dodsport via Flickr

Editor’s note: Over the years, I’ve realized that many readers are awaiting adoptions, struggling with infertility, or grieving a miscarriage.  I’m truly honored that Sara was willing to share her story here.  It is a powerful reminder that names aren’t just pleasing sounds – when you find the right name, it can carry layers of meaning.  I’m also truly thrilled because Sara was the very first reader to ever share a name story here at AppMtn.  You can read her son’s story here.

Our daughter’s name is Genevieve Pearl. She joins big brother Titus Whitfield.

Nearly ten years before she was born my husband said he’d like to name
a daughter Guinevere after the Arthurian legends. I was not a fan of
the name or the character so I was not really supportive of his name
of choice, although in retrospect I’m impressed with his creativity.

I worked at a children’s hospital at the time and part of my job was
to send thank you letters to donors to our foundation. Each month we’d
receive a small gift from a lady named Genevieve. I adored the name
and my husband readily agreed that it could be our compromise.

Fast forward ten years and Genevieve’s story is impossible to tell
without telling my own. The road to having children was an arduous one
for us –  eight years from beginning to end and full of heartache.

Finally I was pregnant again and wondrously I was pregnant with the
first girl to be born in over 60 years on my husband’s side of the
family. After so many years of trying and multiple miscarriages, I
found myself second-guessing the name Genevieve because of the
meaning “white wave.”

I grew up on the beautiful calm Gulf of Mexico. Large white capped
waves generally only happened during hurricanes. We’d endured enough
storms, thank you very much.

However after literally reading thousands of names during my
pregnancy, Genevieve still remained the only name we really liked. So
I began to ask, “what middle name would bring strength or beauty to
the tumultuous waves of Genevieve?”

Pearl! How perfect! A lovely and rare treasure from the sea.

And that is how, after five miscarriages, a difficult pregnancy, and an
emergency c-section, I’m incredibly blessed to have navigated the
uncertain waves of life to find my beautiful girl.

Her nickname is Vivi, chosen specifically because it means “lively -
full of life.”

I’ve read this story several times in the posting process and I still get walloped by that last line.  If you’re dealing with loss, Sara recommended a site that might be of help.

The Order of the Phoenix, from pentadact via Flickr

No sooner had I hit publish on the first installment in The Hermiones series, than the following question rolled in: “What’s the male equivalent?”

It was a baffling question.  Many of the qualities we admire in Hermione – bravery, a stubborn self-assurance, book learning and serious street smarts – are common traits for male heroes in fiction.  What makes Hermione exceptional is that she’s also an outsider (Muggle-born, in Potterverse parlance) and an ugly duckling.  And a girl.  Even in 2012, many girls’ names convey a head cheerleader or a princess-in-training image.  Hermione stands out – as I’ve written before, she’s clunky, but still cool, and definitely vintage.

Then there’s Katniss, the more modern equivalent.  Katniss names are offbeat and often drawn from the natural world, but they’re hearty, even tough.  The fact that Katniss is deadly first and compassionate second in many of the stories is what keeps her alive – typical traits for a male hero, but exceptional for a teenage girl.

I’m indebted to C in DC for suggesting that maybe the male equivalent is Neville, as in Neville Longbottom.  At the start of the series, he’s as awkward as they come and it turns out he’s lugging around a crushing secret.  But the character also has surprising reserves of bravery and grit, and he turns into a true hero without sacrificing any of his native kindness.  That’s not the typical hero’s journey, though Neville eventually proves himself a capable lieutenant for Harry - he organizes the student resistance in Harry’s absence, and in the final battle, it is actually Neville who slays the giant snake, Nagini.

This list includes boys’ names that sacrifice a certain energy for a gentle quality.  They’re well-born, gentlemanly names, but they’re still clearly masculine.  Like Hermione, they’re antique, even clunky – and likely to inspire others to warn you of playground teasings should you give the name to a son.  But the Nevilles come out on top in the long run – you can imagine these names on a valedictorian, a statesman, a poet – or maybe an indie rocker.

The US Top 100 includes a few names that could have made this list – Elijah and Tristan, maybe?  Or how about Sebastian?  But the final requirement is that the name be relatively underused, at least in the US.  And so, I give you … the Nevilles.

Alasdair – Alexander is a powerhouse, a top twenty fixture for more than a decade, a name that we easily supplement with “the Great.”  Alasdair is his bookish cousin, more Masterpiece Theater than summer blockbuster.  And yet don’t count him out – his final syllable is dare, and he has every bit as much history as his more popular cousin.

Ambrose – There’s something vibrant about the long -o sound, but Ambrose still manages to sound scholarly.  Maybe that’s because Saint Ambrose is an early doctor of the Catholic church, a fourth-century leader whose writings remain influential today.  Plenty of stylish names share his sounds - Brody and Bode, for two – and yet, Ambrose remains in limbo.

Arthur - With Selma Blair’s new son wearing this name, it might be time to declare Arthur back – except that this former Top 20 mainstay continues to fall in the rankings.  Still, between his stylish -r ending and the legendary king of Camelot, Arthur has much to offer.

Asa – There’s much buzz about Asa, thanks mostly to young actor Asa Butterfield.  The name conjures up a certain silver-haired 80s television patriarch, and the meaning – doctor – is similarly distinguished.  He’s awfully close to girls’ mega-hit Ava, but don’t rule him out.  Asa reads brainy, but he also shares that long a sound with Mason and Jayden.

Augustin – August is venerable, and all of the related names share a certain dose of Nevilleness.  But let’s call Augustin the Neville, thanks to writer Augusten Burroughs – born Chris.  Augustin feels a tiny bit français, far less imperial than Augustus.

Balthasar – Some of the Neville names carry an almost exotic feel, a clunkiness that is less about sound and more about how the name lingers at the edge of our awareness.  Many traditions give this name to one of the Three Wise Men in the nativity story, and you probably recognize actor Balthazar Getty.  With no easy nicknames, Balthasar is tough to wear, but terribly appealing, too.

Barnaby – Thinking of Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge might make some question if this name belongs on the list.  But I’m thinking of Dr. Barnaby Fulton, the chemist charged with discovering an elixir of youth in 1952′s Monkey Business.  Though Fulton is played by the suave Cary Grant, he’s quite bumbling – it isn’t Fulton, but Fulton’s chimpanzee who mixes the concoction that sets the film’s events in motion.

Bartholomew – If Dr. Seuss wrote young adult novels set at a school of wizardry, he’d have called his hero Bartholomew.  Think of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew or Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  He’s a young boy who stays calm in extraordinary circumstances, and ultimately saves the day.  Of course, there’s also Bart Simpson, who takes the name in a different direction …

Cassius – Balthazar Getty gave this name to his son, proving that Nevilles run in the family.  Cash is cowboy cool, but Cassius is the name that Muhammad Ali shed to become a champ.  Despite a saint, some ancient Romans, and a Kentucky politician who championed emancipation, Cassius has always been rare.  He sounds something like cautious – which somehow makes him very much a Neville to me.

Clark – Need I say more than Kent?  Superman’s alter ego is shambling, awkward, can’t talk to girls.  But he’s also a thoroughly decent fellow who is just as worthy of the cape as his man-of-steel counterpart.

Crispin – Shakespeare had King Henry V rally his troops with the enduring Band of Brothers speech about Saint Crispin’s Day – a story that has become synonymous with the triumph of the underdogs.  (And yes, history and literature meet here – the English were outnumbered, but still beat the French army at Agincourt.)

Dexter – With that middle x, you might argue that Dexter has a jazz age cool, a fresher alternative to Max or Alex.  But pop culture gives us mostly Dexters who are misunderstood: a disgruntled boy genius, an ethical serial killer.

Finbar – A few years ago, Finn might have made this list.  But these days, he’s a conventional hero, from Cars’ Finn McMissile to Glee’s Finn Hudson.  Finbar is the Anglicized version of a sixth century saint’s name.  He’s still got the effortlessly cool short form Finn to wear, but Finbar heads in a clunkier, quirkier direction.

Desmond – From musical innovator Desmond Dekker to Anglican bishop and celebrated human rights activist Desmond Tutu, this name has been worn by some impressive men.  And yet he remains relatively underused and scholarly-sounding.

Edward – With Twilight mania still at a fever pitch, can the name of the romantic vampire lead really be a Neville?  Maybe.  After all, Edward Cullen has yet to inspire parents to re-imagine the name.  At #136 in 2010, he’s the most popular name on this list – but that’s still a far cry from his Top Ten ranking a century ago.

Ezra – I love Ezra, with his razor-y sounds and Biblical origins.  But he’s just not a tough guy name.  He’s more mid-century poet, or possibly an even more antique academic.  But like Neville, there are layers to this name.

Gale – Once upon a time, this was a masculine moniker derived from a surname.  Now he’s gone girl, thanks to Abigail.  But literature could come to his rescue, thanks to handsome Gale Hawthorne, a hero from The Hunger Games.

Giles – From a Late Latin name borne by an eighth-century saint, Giles is more often a surname than a given name.  But when he does occupy the first spot, Giles is something of a posh English appellation – not unlike Neville.  As for unexpected heroes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer gave us a librarian called Rupert Giles, who also turned out to be pretty good at fighting the forces of evil in his own way.

Graham – Like Giles and Neville, he has roots as a surname.  Like Neville and Giles, he sounds smart and vaguely English.  Like novelist Graham Greene, he’s serious without being stodgy – but only just barely.  He’s Scottish and, thanks to the cracker invented by nineteenth-century health food reformer Sylvester Graham, edible.

Horatio – There’s something lively about Horatio, but he’s also a quirky antique.  British admiral Horatio Nelson made the name famous when he defeated Napoleon, but he’d been in use for centuries earlier, worn by an American general in the Revolutionary War and a long list of Earls of Oxford.  More recently there’s American author Horatio Alger and fictional figure Horatio Hornblower, an unlikely hero of the British Navy.  His last appearance in the US Top 1000 was back in 1899, making him a clunky vintage find.

Scottish Royal Standard; Image via Wikipedia

He’s a super-short appellation with a Scottish vibe.

Thanks to Jessie for suggesting a name inspired by her grandfather as our Baby Name of the Day: Ian.

Plenty of famous men have answered to Ian.  Not as many as John or Jack, no, but he’s definitely one of the more successful international variants, right up there with Sean in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Ian has ranked in the US Top 1000 every year since 1935, and the Top 100 every year since 1982.  He’s a modern staple for boys.

You can also find a few men still answering to earlier forms of the name.  In Biblical Latin, the name we know as John was Iohannes, so some of the so-called variants are actually closer to the original.  Eoin evolved in Gaelic, and was used in both Ireland and Scotland.  The Scots eventually whispered Eoin into Iain, and then slimmed him into Ian sometime in the 1800s.

Ian has been equally popular in the UK – in fact, he had his best days a few decades back, which is why many of the more famous Ians are British men of a certain age.

Noteworthy Ians include:

• Rock stars from Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson to The Cults’ Ian Astbury to my personal favorite, Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch.
• Writer Ian Fleming, creator of the legendary super-spy James Bond.
• Actors like Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, 90210 alum Ian Ziering, and current television heartthrob Ian Somerhalder.

Add in plenty of athletes, politicians, scientists, and a British war hero or three, and Ian starts to feel like an ordinary name that stops short of being a regular Joe.  It’s a good compromise place for lots of parents.

Fictional characters have worn Ian, too.  EastEnders includes Ian Beale, the last remaining original character – when the series premiered, he was just fourteen.  He’s a bit of a villain, but other Ians have been good eggs.  Think of Ian Miller, the very not-Greek guy who falls for Toula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

But perhaps the most fascinating thing about Ian is that even though he’s a bona fide, stand-alone appellation, he’s also a popular ending for lots of names currently popular:

• Christian (#29 in 2010)
• Julian(#53)
• Adrian (#56)
• Sebastian (#68)

All of that is before you reach Ian at #72.  Other names, like Brian and Damian, are also common.  And that’s not considering girls’ names like Lillian.  But while I’ve met one pair of parents who put Sebastian on the birth certificate but called their boy Ian, it isn’t very common.

On the contrary, most of the time, Ian is just Ian – a short name that is less aggressive than Gage or Colt, a little more rooted and traditional than Kai or Cade.  He fits with Max and Ray and Eli – you’re not surprised to hear them on any one, regardless of age.  They’re stylish and fun for a child, but perfectly sophisticated for a grown man.

Ian’s only short-coming is that he’s so middle-of-the-road that he isn’t definitively any one thing.  He’s too common to be an obvious nod to Scottish heritage, too well-used to be a modern innovation.  And yet that’s also his strength – if you can’t agree, he’s the kind of name that will likely appeal to parents who need to meet somewhere in the middle, between Dexter and Jake.