Kayla and her husband are expecting their second child soon; a brother or sister for their son Santino.
Kayla writes: "We'd like something a bit unusual again but haven't come across anything that stands out to both of us.
Rafferty: this is my number one choice but my husband isn't convinced by it.
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There is quite an interesting mix of continental flair combined and British refinery in your choices. Santino itself has been in the top 1000 since 2005 in England and Wales, given to between 30 and 40 boys per year. That puts it in the “unusual but not weird” category for me. It is accessible (easy to say and spell) and fairly familiar, even if it isn't encountered much.
That, therefore is what I've used as a starting point for my suggestions below combined with your current favourites:
Boys:
Atticus – Stately, Roman, uncommon (given to about as many baby boys as Santino) but a name that most people are familiar with.
Caspian / Cassian – Jasper on your list makes me think of Caspian -- the name of the world's largest land-locked sea, and used by C.S.Lewis for Prince Caspian -- and Cassian, an Anglicised form of the Roman name Cassianus "belonging to Cassius."
Macsen – An ancient and legendary Welsh name -- the Welsh form of Maximus "greatest" in fact -- which sounds both modern and enduring. Macsen Wledig (Magnus Maximus) was a Roman Emperor of Britannia and Gaul and features in an epic Welsh saga. The English spelling of the name is Maxen, but I feel that Macsen (simply Mac--sen) is just as intuitive but with more interest.
Lysander –An ancient Greek name which means approximately "freer of men." It was borne by a great Spartan general, Shakespeare's hero in Midsummer Night's Dream and abolitionist Lysander Spooner (1808-1887).
Leander – Similar to Lysander is the mythological name Leander, a Latin form of the Greek name Leandros "lion of man."
Evander – Another of the -ander family, Evander was the name of a hero in the Trojan war whose name translates as "good man."
Dante – The name of the famous Italian poet, with an edgy modern sound. Dante is the medieval Italian short form of the Late Latin Durand(us) meaning "enduring."
Malachi – Meaning "my angel/messenger," Malachi is a biblical name in the same vein as Tobias and Jasper but far less common. The name is given to a prophet of the Old Testament.
Gideon – Another Biblical gem is Gideon, the name of Israelite hero.
Lorcan – An easily accessible yet uncommon Irish name meaning "little fierce one."
Lucan – A twist on popular Lucas is Lucan, the English form of the Roman name Lucanus, borne by a famous poet, which means "bright, shining."
Cyrus – The name of a powerful king of Persia, Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian empire. Cyrus is what the Greeks called him -- basing it on the Greek kyros "supreme power" -- as a form of his Persian name, Kūruš, which is thought to mean either "the sun," "young" or "hero."
Laith – An Arabic name (found as Laith or Layth), attributed the meaning "lion." It is very like the Scottish clan name Leith derived from the name of a town and river.
Theron – Bearing an easy modern sound, Theron is actually and ancient Greek name meaning "hunter."
Rhodri – Borne by Rhodri the Great, King of Gwynedd in the ninth century, Rhodri has the same heritage and light syllables as Finlay but with a fraction of its usage.
Lewin – A sleek spin of popular Lewis, Lewin is a medieval form of the Anglo-Saxon name Leofwine "beloved friend," which later became a surname. Of a similar ilk is the Cornish name Lowen "happy" and (as I'm on a roll) the Welsh Bowen "son of Owen."
Jonty:
Jonty is a traditional name diminutive of Jonathan. If that doesn't grab you, however, with a middle name beginning with 'T' (such as Tobias), the following names could get you to Jonty:
Jowan – The Cornish form of John. Jowan Tobias, for example, could easily have the nickname Jonty.
Jonah – A biblical name (meaning 'dove') which is known but not common.
Jovian – The Anglicised form of the Roman name Iovianus, which derived from Iovis/Jupiter, the chief Roman god, and was borne by a Roman emperor.
Monty:
Similarly, if Montague or Montgomery don't take your fancy, Monty could be used as a nickname for Beaumont or Remington.
Girls:
Alessia / Alessa – Between the sounds of Ava and Felicity lies Alessia -- the Italian feminine form of Alexis -- and Alessa, a short form of Alessandra.
Lorelei – Just within the top 1000 is pretty Lorelei, a name of a siren or water goddess in Germanic mythology. Of a similar style is the mellifluous Italian name Loredana (loh-reh-DAH-na), coined in literature.
Cosima – Another Italian beauty derived ultimately from the Greek kosmas "order, decency." Cossie, Mimi or Cosy make very sweet nicknames.
Phaedra – A mythological Greek name meaning "bright, beaming, sparkling."
Mireya – A Spanish name derived from mirar "to admire." The Catalan spelling, Mireia, is the most popular spelling currently in Spain.
Aurora – The Roman goddess and personification of the dawn. Well known but underused.
Evelina – A twist on popular Ava, Evie and Evelyn is Evelina which dates back to the Middle Ages and is still used in Scandinavia and Italy. Ultimately it derives from Ava itself.
Evangeline – Another rarer Ev- name is Evangeline, a literary creation derived from the Greek phrase for "good news, good message."
Athena – The Latin (and most commonly used) name for the Greek goddess of wisdom. Like Santino, Athena is widely heard but seldom met, with the added bonus of the nickname Thea. Even less common is the Greek form Athene (a-THEE-nee).
Vivienne – The romantic French form of Vivian, from the Roman name Vivianus meaning "alive, lively." Viviane is the name of the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend, and Vivien was used by Tennyson in his Arthurian poetry.
Hermione – An elegant name that isn't heavy, Hermione is a name of Greek mythology and geography, given a "smart-girl" boost by Hermione Grainger who has made the name more accessible.
Noemi – Rare in Britain but popular in Italy, Spain and Switzerland is this Biblical Latin form of the Hebrew name Naomi (Na'omiy) "pleasantness".
Parisa – Rare but easily accessible is the sweet Persian name Parisa meaning "fairy-like."
Romilly – Felicity's bouncy sounds are shared with Romilly, taken from various French place names and brought over as a surname by the Normans. News reporter Romilly Weeks gives the name a familar namesake and feminine appeal. Of a similar ilk is Romola, made more familiar by actress Romola Garai, a feminine form of Romulus and ultimately linked to Rome.
Vienna – As Florence is a beautiful Italian city, my mind is drawn to Vienna, another beautiful city which, as a given name, has almost the same number of young bearers as Santino. There is also Venetia, the Latinised form of the gorgeous city of Venice.
Elora – Perhaps a contraction of Eleanora, or taken directly from the Ellora Caves in India, Elora was given world-wide exposure when it was used for the infant princess in the film Willow (1988). Despite this, the name remains rare.
Elysia – A form of the Latin Elysium which in Greek in Roman mythology was the peaceful place of afterlife. It later came to mean "paradise, bliss."
Artemisia – This is certainly a wild card, but with a big brother called Santino, I feel this one shouldn't be overlooked. Meaning "of Artemis," the ancient (and pretty kick-ass) goddess of hunting, Artemisia has been borne by remarkable women in history including the great warrior queen, Artemisia II of Caria (d. 350 BC) and also Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1651), a remarkable and pioneering Italian painter. It's a grand name for grand women, but the multitude of nickanames -- such as Ari, Artie, Ettie, Missy, Misty, Mirry, Mia, Sia -- make it lighter.
I hope this has been useful. Best wishes with the name choosing. Please keep us updated.
