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Baby names

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

Original poster

Classic but rare baby boy names

135 replies

TheFutureIs · 29/08/2025 09:15

I’m a teacher, so when naming a baby I want something unusual but not weird.
I loved Alastair but unfortunately my partner has a cousin named this
Girl names are so much easier!
Any suggestions of similar names?

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Jolostar123 · 30/08/2025 10:14

Buddy
Teddy
Henry
Cruise
Hugo
Winter

NeptuneOrion · 30/08/2025 10:13

Leander

Poodlelove · 30/08/2025 10:12

Sebastian
Rupert
Albert
Theodore

Liss19 · 30/08/2025 10:10

Alexander is the English version of Alistair. My first born is Alexander and his brothers middle name is Alistair. I liked Atticus but hubby had a colleague with that name who was a complete twit apparently so that was a no from him 🫠. I liked Julian and Dexter, this was while naming our middle son, he ended up being Maximilian Alistair i wanted Alistair to be his first name but now hes here he's definitely a Max 😅 and when he was born on 24/7 we had to laugh and said well Max has got to be his name now. We didnt name him till he came out lol.

Morethanthis71 · 30/08/2025 10:07

I love the name Gregory. As a teacher, this is what I chose for DS.1

user1492757084 · 30/08/2025 07:21

Inigo
Peter
Jeremy
Mannix
Neil
David
Simon
Scott
Richard
Forbes

Hollieandtheivie · 30/08/2025 04:15

From other people's lists I like:
Stuart
Owen
Rufus

And I'll add:
Hayden

Dippythedino · 30/08/2025 01:54

Xavier
Claude
Leonard
Abel
Philip
Michael
Laurence
Noel
David
Eugene
Walter
Howard
Daniel
Jonathan
Clarence
Anthony
Francis
Marvin
Ernest
Melvin
Andre/Andrew
Herbert
Samuel
Bernard
Gene
Russell
Frederick

Bluebay · 30/08/2025 01:43

Oswald
Percy

SouthLondonMum22 · 30/08/2025 01:43

My DS is Rupert, he has twin sisters but one of them would be Chester if a boy.

Bernadinetta · 30/08/2025 01:42

I know a recently born Scottish baby boy by the name of Struan.

Fionasapples · 30/08/2025 01:35

Simeon
Silas
Atticus

Pieceofpurplesky · 30/08/2025 01:33

TheFutureIs · 29/08/2025 09:32

My current list

Xander
Newton
Emerson
Lando
Monty
Roscoe
Hamish
Murdoch
Indigo
Laurie

Monty. Fantastic name and as a teacher I did once teach one who lives up to his fantastic name. I also like Hamish and Laurie from your list.

I like Fergus.

Lando would say Star Wars fan to me.

Angelil · 30/08/2025 01:33

lizziebuck · 29/08/2025 15:41

Look in the bible. Ham, Japeth, Noah, there’s hundreds of names barely used…

I generally agree with you, except Noah is HUGELY popular…

Angelil · 30/08/2025 01:30

TheFutureIs · 29/08/2025 09:46

Valentine
Isiah
Orlando
Nile
have all been added to my list

Well, if you’re going to do that then at least spell ISAIAH correctly.

Other good Biblical names include Levi and Asher.

Blueuggboots · 30/08/2025 00:57

I would spell NILE Niall.

Miles
Atticus (I bloody love this and suggest it on any boys names threads!!)

mathanxiety · 30/08/2025 00:51

TheFutureIs · 29/08/2025 09:32

My current list

Xander
Newton
Emerson
Lando
Monty
Roscoe
Hamish
Murdoch
Indigo
Laurie

Given this, you might like

Lennox
Douglas
Fergus
Clement
Everett
Bennet
Beckett
Merrick
Emmett
Truman
Lucien
Hadrian
Julius
Cosmo

Alexandrine · 29/08/2025 22:53

Yeah, classic definitely wasn’t the right word - if you want classic but less common/popular these days you’d be looking at “Dad” names like:
Laurence (could use trendier Laurie as nickname)
Nicholas (could use trendier Nico/Cole?)
Robert (could use trendy Bertie?)
Peter
Simon
Stephen
John
Jonathan
Paul
Phillip
Gregory
Malcolm
Hugh
Patrick

But it sounds more like you want something that’s never been super popular but is still well known? Maybe more along the lines of:
Xavier
Maximilian
Benedict
Dominic
Nathaniel
Owen
Evan
Tristan
Euan
Sean
Joel
Saul
Marcus
Magnus

aintnospringchicken · 29/08/2025 21:48

David
Paul
Andrew
Peter
Stuart
Daniel
Myles
Raymond
Ian
Alan
Richard
Jonathan

OSTMusTisNT · 29/08/2025 21:41

Guessing you're Scottish?

Andrew
Cameron
Alexander
Michael
Fergus
James/Jamie
Daniel
Thomas

But, your 1st choice of Alastair is lovely, your DS will probably have nothing to do with his cousin once removed so don't let that stop you. I would go for the Gaelic spelling of Alexander though - Alasdair 😀

Silverbirchleaf · 29/08/2025 21:31

Alban
Botolph
Giles
Barnabas
Bartholomew
Wesley
Bede
Gregory
Crispin

Haggistrap · 29/08/2025 21:23

I have an Alastair. There are 3 of them in the family - my son, my uncle, and my cousin's son. Doesn't bother me at all that mine isn't the only one, but I do have a large extended Scottish family with quite a few 'duplicate' names! I'd just just use it.

tommyhoundmum · 29/08/2025 21:12

Favouritefruits · 29/08/2025 09:34

@TheFutureIs Xander is very popular, if you’re looking for something a little less mainstream

Surely that would just be a shortened version of Alexander, also very popular in my part of London.

Marble10 · 29/08/2025 20:36

Basil
Claude
Victor

Cielovista · 29/08/2025 20:11

Edmund
Florian
Fabian