Can anyone help whittle down my big fat highly specific list?

[SSLYBY]

Just found out that DC1 is a boy, which is great, but my name taste is quite unorthodox for most. So, I've decided to have an underused, historic but legitimate name for a first name and reel out the more fanciful choices for the middle names. Any suggestions/combos would be helpful. Slaps in the face also welcome.

First names:
Alec
Basil
Rupert
Edwin
Lucian
Kenelm
Leopold (Leo)
Gilbert

Middles:
Caius
Alaric
Augustine
Ferdinand
Valerian
Constant
Aloysius
Ulysses
Aurelian

Imo you can easily have two middle names. Any more become a hassle when filling out forms etc (although I do know people with up to 4 middle names...).

My children both have 3 first names, if that helps. And a double barrelled last name as well!

seeker - Blimey! We have a short, though quite vampish surname - Strang. Makes everything you put in front of it sound a bit sinister.

mopsyflopsy - I myself have 2 MNs, it's just deciding which gets prime position that's difficult. And then they have to run together nicely and suddenly syllables and vowels start mattering...phew.

Can see you are partial to early saints and bishops :) Anselm is a fine name. and Kenelm can easily become Ken for everyday use. Alaric is another that can easily slip into something more conventional if required - Alec, Alan, Rick, even Larry. Very versatile.

First names:
Alec - neutral
Basil - Brave choice but like it.
Rupert - No
Edwin - Will just be Ed/Eddie
Lucian - really like this
Kenelm - ??
Leopold (Leo) - Like, don't love
Gilbert - No, no, no

Middles:
Caius - quietly quite trendy
Alaric - reminds me of celariac
Augustine - great, love it
Ferdinand - ditto
Valerian - no opinion
Constant - would add an ine at the end
Aloysius - no, bad association
Ulysses - why not?
Aurelian - no opinion

I prefer Fernando as well but it'll still possibly be seen as a football name

PercyFilth - It is a passion of mine, yes I secretly love Cuthbert, Bede, Wulfric and Caedmon but I could never use them! I actually met a man called Alaric over the summer who was just known as Al. I kind of liked how ordinary his everyday name was, but then he could just whip it out this fantastic ancient name when anyone asked

said - Thanks, that's really helpful. Can I ask why you don't like Gilbert? It seems to divide people. A lot of people say Constantine over Constant but I love the Constant Lambert association and just the sentiment of constancy and perseverance as a whole.

I don't like the sound of Gilbert although Gil is quite cool. Also, don't like Gilbert O'Sullivan or Gilbert and Sullivan.

Gilbert Aurelian

LOVE Gilbert (wanted it, dh wouldn't have it)

Kenelm - NOOO. That is taking the mick. I like Anselm though.

Go with Alaric! For personal reasons I am vehemently opposed to giving your child a "brave" name but I think this one fits the bill nicely.

And my Aidan is many things but certainly not boring :o If only he were...

Oops! Sorry SoupDragon, I'm sure he's a real firecracker Alaric is great, isn't it?

OK, to try and move things along I've asked DP for his top 3 first and middle names, and I'm going to do the same. I'll report back when we've got some lists together. Thank you everyone for all your help so far!

Alec - Douglas Home, chap in Brief Encounter, a bit fey and old-fashioned.
Basil - Fawlty, no.
Rupert - yes, though self-consciously upmarket
Edwin - don't know, not keen on Ed, otherwise why not.
Lucian - Freud, or boy in Enid Blyton unkindly called 'Lucy Anne'. Like but don't know how easy it would be to live with. Shortens to Luc though.

Kenelm - really? No, too unusual.
Leopold (Leo) - Yes, Leo sounds quite 'normal' in an interesting way.
Gilbert - Gil is very cool, why not?

Middles: (Doesn't matter in the playground sense as only a middle but some of these are very unusual. Commenting only on those I'd consider).

Caius
Alaric - v unusual but at least the abbreviations are masculine.
Augustine
Ferdinand - nice, interesting, any Spanish connections?
Valerian - given there are Valentines, why not? My favourite herbal tea - only one I find medically effective, as a sedative and, to great amusement, has the opposite effect on cats. Attractive plant.

Constant
Aloysius - teddy bear in Brideshead. I think it's a marvellous name though.
Ulysses
Aurelian

Like Bartholemew. How about Aiden for a first name?

So Lucian Alaric, Leopold Ferdinand (very regal), or Gilbert Aloysius (GAS though). Couldn't you use Bede as a middle name - poss an addtional one?

lottie - Thanks. Aiden's already been discussed, as I'm sure SoupDragon will tell you My DP does indeed want two middle names, so we're running with that idea for the moment.

If it helps determine our sort of taste, I also have a daughter from a previous relationship called Celeste Ornella Iris (with a different surname).

FWIW I love your choices. I do think that people get too wound up by 'brave' names. They don't sound brave at all to me. They just sound fabulous. And I know a John who despises his name completely. It's a lottery.

DS is named after an angel or a ninja turtle depending on who you're talking to and one of his middle names is Erasmus (which shortens to Rastus, something he gets called a fair bit). I love his names and hopefully he will too but if he doesn't, he can call himself Jack. His choice. Just like naming him was my choice.

Alaric Strang- James Bond baddie.

Gilbert Strang- CNN anchor

Edwin Strang - expert on 19th century poetry on Radio 4

Basil Strang - Archbishop of Canterbury

Kenelm Strang - a firm of accountants

i love your name suggestions. wanted to use caius myself but chickened out, only to use something far stranger! anyway my vote is for Edwin Caius :)
(don't use basil!)

oops that was before i saw your surname. would change the middle name in that case!

Leopold Caius

Leo

fab fab fab :)

Lucian Alaric

also :)

Shadrach?

I used to teach a Basil - his brothers were called Muhammed and Ibrahim so don't know where they got it from! He was cool though so I like that name now. Also have an Edwin in our year group - he's small with long hair so it suits him but it's not a very masculine name... Kenelm is cool but weird and I quite like Leopold, so long as he's normally called Leo. The middle names are all a bit too extreme for me, but would go with Caius if I had to pick...

Is Caius said as "Keys"?

Edwin Alaric Augustine
Leopold Aurelian Constant
Lucian Aloysius Valerian

seeker - Never heard of Shadrach before, a bit well...Yiddish...for my taste.

MerryMarigold - No, "ky-us"

Nice to see a positive response Keep 'em coming folks! DP and I are busy deciding our favourites for the final cull.

I love Aloysius so that would feature in every name for me! I'm not too fond of Constant but what about Constantine instead?

Rupert Ferdinand Aloysius
Leopold Edwin Aloysius
Gilbert Caius Aloysius
Aloysius Lucian Alaric (love this with nn Alo)
Alec Constantine Ferdinand