Patches of Names

We are living in an age of surname-names for boys, whether they be traditional or contemporary. Even common surnames have become popular first names in recent years. One example is Walker. Walker comes from the English surname with the obvious meaning "to walk." It was first given to men who walked on wool for cleaning and thickening during the Middle Ages. Like many surname-names, Walker went on to become a masculine first name in the sixteenth century. Walker sounds contemporary, but it actually enjoyed moderate popularity during the 1880s and 1890s. It mostly hovered in the 300s around the time. Afterward, Walker declined until leaving the top 1000 in 1956. It returned to the charts in the 1980s and has been rising since then. Perhaps Walker rose faster than ever over the last three years, moving from the high 200s in 2020 to the top 100 in 2022. As a surname, Walker brings many bearers to mind. One example is American writer Alice Walker. However, it has also associated i

Many traditional boys' names are either timeless or vintage. However, several others have a completely distinct style. Exotic names are neither vintage nor classic. Instead, they are quirky names backed by at least a century of usage. These traditional names must also have a sense of their usage history. Otherwise, these would be exotic contemporary names. Here are some quirky traditional choices for boys: Absalom Alastair Aldric Amadeus Angus Atticus Augustine Balthazar Barnaby Bartholomew Beau Bruno Cassius Cedric Cosmo Crispin Cyrus Demetrius Desmond Ephraim Evander Ferdinand Florian Giles Hans Horatio Ignatius Inigo Ivo Jabez Japheth Lafayette Lancelot Leander Leonardo Leopold Linus Lysander Magnus Matthias Maxim Montague Napoleon Nicodemus Pascal Peregrine Philemon Raphael Rhett Romeo Severin Silvan Theron Titus Tycho Ulysses Wyatt Zebedee What names would you add?

J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books have been popular among young readers for a few decades. These stories have popularized certain names through their side characters. One example is Luna Lovegood. Luna, meaning "moon" in Latin, has roots dating from antiquity, long before the  Harry Potter books existed. It first associated itself with the Roman goddess of the moon who rode a horse-drawn chariot across the sky. As a given name, Luna has seen some usage in England as early as the sixteenth century. Luna was also the daughter of the titular sleeping beauty in an early version: Giambattista Basile's 1634  Sole, Luna e Talia .  Luna has seen low-to-moderate usage in England and the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The name first peaked in the low 300s in 1881 before its gradual decline; Luna dropped out of the American top 1000 in the 1920s. It became rare in England shortly afterward.  The twenty-first century shifted stakes for Luna. It re

Many traditional names are timeless or vintage. Yet, there is a group of established names that are neither of these.  Exotic names have history but are neither old-fashioned nor ordinary. These quirky names only need a sense of continued usage over time. They can come from historical literature, legends, figures, and/or events. Regardless of source, exotic traditional names have a quirky style.  Here are some traditional names that are certainly not ordinary: Araminta Astrid Aurora Beatrix Celestia Coraline Delphine Drusilla Elodie Esme Eulalia Freya Ginevra Guinevere Hermione Honora Idony Imogen Isadora Isolde Jessamine Linnea Lorelei Luna Maeve Maris Melisende Octavia Oona Ophelia Oriana Ottilie Paloma Petra Philomena Portia Raphaela Scarlett Seraphina Sophronia Tallulah Theodosia Violetta Viva Zenobia What names would you add?