strong, romantic baby boy names: orion, augustine, salem, sebastian, milo?

[montrose2132]

So, we are having a very difficult time finalizing our name choice for our baby boy who is due in only a few months.

Our finalists include: orion, augustine, salem, sebastian, and milo.

Our last name starts with an f sound and rhymes with hill-ups.

We like Orion a lot, but we are worried it will lead to a lifetime of frustrated introductions and pronunciation controversies. We also love sebastian, but worry it is way too common.

Mostly, we are looking for a name that is strong yet romantic, unique enough to support the independent individual we hope to raise, and that travels and ages well. I also like the idea of using a name that has been used in multiple cultures for more than a thousand years, as a way of honoring our collective legacy and acknowledging that meaning and wisdom lie not just in the present or the future, but also in the archaic, simpler past.

Combos we like:

Orion Augustine
Salem Augustine
Milo Salem
Augustine Orion

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

How funny, August Orion was one of my potential combinations. I've got a Sebastian though and he gets nothing but love for his name.
Other siblings/past name considerations were
Jupiter
Indio
Herbie
Serge
Noam
Gaspard
Hugo
Etienne
Oberon

Agree Augustine is a bit wet.

Well I love Salem. I think it's gorgeous.

I hate Milo because it reminds me of the Australian malt drink...Milo.

Also love Urban.

Augustus is a bit more manly than Augustine..?

Reuben

I think Prosper is another strong contender.

Don't forget nicknames can totally change a name. Sebastian will be Seb to all his mates.

Appollo
Julius
Abraham
Levi

I quite like Augustine - the saint was a formidable religious thinker with a dramatic/traumatic early private life. But I would not use the name unless I had thought quite a bit about Augustine's ideas and how I felt about them today. Like Salem (Biblical, then American witches), the name comes with many strong associations, though in a very different way.

I don't think Augustine sounds too girly, but alternative version include Augustin (French, male) and Austin (English, male). Or, as others have said, there is Augustus. Or Alban, Ambrose... even Adam.

I like Orion, but as a middle name - then your son could always choose to use it if he wanted. The meaning 'Mighty Hunter' is quite a lot to live up to without any possible alternative.

Sebastian is fine but quite popular and I don't like 'Seb'. I prefer the Dutch 'Bastiaan', though that's perhaps a bit awkward in English.

Milo always makes me think of the chocolate-flavoured milk drink, or of Milo O'Shea - a fine actor but not 'romantic'. But nothing wrong with it as a name.

Nice sentiment. Though Orion sounds flimsy, if you're in the UK, and too much like Ryan for me. Milo I associate with the brand name.

Augustine is a good name. Though I prefer Augustino, Augustave or Auguste

How about August instead of Augustine? I do like Augustine though. I prefer Miles to Milo, and Sebastian is ok. Not keen on Orion.

Prefer Sebastian out of your list. Also like gabriel or nathanial

Jesus

Sorry, Salem is really grim.

Orion is a great name, Orion the hunter. My bil misheard it as 'a lion' but that's a good association too.

Love Augustine and Sebastian.
For more suggestions how about
Valentino.
Ricardo
Guiseppe

PMSL at the PP who said "Salem is a girl's name"

It is not a given name. It's a derivative of Jerusalem.

Are you referring to me?

Whilst I am aware of that, this is a thread about names. Using Salem as a name sounds like a girls name to me.

or does it make you feel good to think you have superior knowledge to someone else?

Salam was the male talking cat in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Whilst obviously named after the witch trials, I am familiar with the cat, so do see it as a male name.

I like August very much.

Really like Orion.
What about

Lysander

Tiago

Conrad

Magnus

Milo's a lovely name!
Stop the Milo bashing please .

[Pfb Milo asleep upstairs]

Like others, I too felt your brief is a bit funny. This sweepingly generalised vision of time periods, history and languages and a desire for romantic names .....all it does is remind me of people dressed up as period film characters acting as Darcy, or Alexander.

Nonetheless, none on your list appeal to me, and Augustine might have your boy picked on.

We've got an Indian first after me, and a Greek second after Western dad.

You might look into Nordic, Greek or Sanskrit mythology to see if any suit, but really sticking to ones own culture is best.

My suggestions:

I second Darius
Valerian (more original than Sebastian - I know several under 3)
Caius (nn Cai - or you could even go with Kai if you don't mind being a bit Scandi/Germanic)
On that note: Tristan
Casimir

I think these are strong and romantic anyway...

Jasper
Adrian
Conan
Dante
Israel
Jethro
Jude
Kim
Mungo
Orson
Reuben
Rufus
Thurstan
Tristram
Vaughan
Vernon

My DS has a friend called Sebastian who is known as Sebi. Love it

I like Sebastian and Nathaniel. Milo is a Tweenie isn't he? Also like Caspar like someone suggested. I have a Caspian which is unusual but he carries his name well.