Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Boys names with a historical/classical leaning

68 replies

Salacia · 26/01/2024 12:30

Starting to think about potential baby names now I’m in my second trimester (had a difficult time getting here so it doesn’t quite seem real yet! Trying to be cautiously optimistic).

DH and I both share a love of history (pretty much any period but particularly Ancient Rome and medieval Europe) and I’ve always thought it would be a bit of a source of inspiration for names.

Girls names aren’t an issue - lots of ideas (Livia, Julia, Theodora, Octavia, Joan, Matilda, Eleanor, Rosalind, Emmeline etc etc) but for boys names the names are either rather generic (Henry, William, John etc) or a bit too out there (especially as DH went to a public school and is very keen to avoid any of the stereotypically posh classical names - certainly no Ptolemy (we’re both in agreement there!)).

I like Felix, Rufus, Marcus, Alban - any other suggestions for names in a similar style?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
CoddledAsAMommet · 03/02/2024 23:02

Hector

Flopsy145 · 03/02/2024 22:57

Have you watched The Last Kingdom? That would be a great source for names based on ones you like!
Edwin
Wulfric
Wilfred
Uhtred
Egbert/Bertie
Godwin
Malcolm
Magnus
Maddox
Cosimo
Hector
Lysander
Jason

Heather37231 · 02/02/2024 07:36

DiamondSnake · 29/01/2024 20:23

Caratacus, I knew a kid with this name 40 years ago, his sister was Boudicca. Both Chieftain leaders against the Romans in different eras.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caratacus

Caratacus Potts, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

Salacia · 02/02/2024 07:32

delfttulipvase · 29/01/2024 20:55

My parents had friends called Tudor and Lancelot (they'd be in their 70s and 80s now).

I know a young man called Kester which I think is a old version of Christopher.

And my primary school teacher had a baby on 14 February and called him Valentine 

I like Kester - haven’t come across it before.

OP posts:
Salacia · 02/02/2024 07:30

Still so many great suggestions! Thank you so much.

I had thought about Bede but I just don’t like it as a sound I’m afraid. I had thought Oswald for a Northumberland link but again, not sure I like it as an actual name (and there’s the Mosley association).

OP posts:
3ormorecharacters · 01/02/2024 19:51

Have you considered Bede if you have a fondness for Northumberland?

Longdarkcloud · 01/02/2024 19:49

Erasmus

mathanxiety · 30/01/2024 17:45

Urban
Ambrose
Alaric
Gregory
Julius
Cosimo
Ludovic
Cyprian
Crispin
Edmund
Rollo
Clement
Boniface
Bede
Cornelius
Hadrian
Ferdinand
Arnulf
Erasmus
Fabian
Stanislaus
Erasmus
Aldous
Giles
Lorenzo
Constantine
Godfrey
Gilbert
Eustace
Pippin
Caspian
Roland

Longdarkcloud · 30/01/2024 16:21

Anselm
Amos
Kenelm
Benedict
Harald

DuchessOfSausage · 29/01/2024 20:56

Tudor and Lancelot , Kester are good

delfttulipvase · 29/01/2024 20:55

My parents had friends called Tudor and Lancelot (they'd be in their 70s and 80s now).

I know a young man called Kester which I think is a old version of Christopher.

And my primary school teacher had a baby on 14 February and called him Valentine 

EducatingArti · 29/01/2024 20:34

I like the "Ed"names, Edwin, Edgar, Edmund.
Saxon but not too unfamiliar

sunflowerpinks · 29/01/2024 20:31

Marcus
Quentin

DiamondSnake · 29/01/2024 20:23

Caratacus, I knew a kid with this name 40 years ago, his sister was Boudicca. Both Chieftain leaders against the Romans in different eras.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caratacus

Caratacus - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caratacus

Salacia · 29/01/2024 19:32

Thanks so much to everyone still going! There are some really lovely names suggested and I’m much more optimistic we’ll find something (Sod’s Law after everyone’s hard work coming up with ideas it’ll be a girl after all…).

OP posts:
Jonad · 29/01/2024 17:58

Posted too soon. How do you pronounce Ceawlin?

Edred

Jonad · 29/01/2024 17:56

Ceawlin (have never known how to pron
Bede

Teddleshon · 29/01/2024 17:52

I have always loved Cato

Jackdanielsg1 · 29/01/2024 17:47

We've got a young Marcus and we love it. Haven't met any other young ones (know a 60 year old one) so not particularly popular but easy to pronounce and spell. Careful though as one of the meanings is 'war like' and ours is as stubborn as hell 😂

Also love Atticus, Jethro, Jonah and Anthony.

Good luck choosing.

DiamondSnake · 29/01/2024 17:44

Like St Alban.

Longdarkcloud · 29/01/2024 17:39

I never know how to pronounce Alban — is it as in St Albans or as in Albert and Alfred?

Laureatus · 29/01/2024 17:28

Gaius
Julian
Justus
Urban
Virgil
Aidan
Wilfred (nice Northumbrian connection)
Bede
Wulfric / Wulfstan
Alfric
Ralph (we have a Ralph pronounced rafe)
Hadrian/Adrian
Magnus
Hector
Blaise (St Blaise)
Rocco (St Roche)

LonelyLongDistanceRunner · 28/01/2024 22:31

My baby is called Lorenzo. People refer to
him as ‘Il Magnifico’ when we’re over in Italy where his dad is from. As in Lorenzo de' Medici.

Telemachus is interesting (son of Odysseus). Maybe too out there though.

DiamondSnake · 28/01/2024 22:26

Lots of great historic Saints names with amazing stories if you look for them.

Salacia · 28/01/2024 21:26

Thanks so much everyone!

I guess the problem is I have so many women in history who I admire that the name inspiration just comes naturally. With men I struggle a bit more!

OP posts: