List of boys names. Looking for a slightly unusual historic classic

[LimeslemonsPomegranates]

I'm stuck and can't choose a boy name. We have picked Rosamund for a girl. What is the natural choice for a boy if we like Rosamund? Siblings are Claudia and Morwenna, surname is two syllables and english, similar to Thompson. I like unusual names and prefer underused classics or something literary and historic that isn't likely to trend into the top 100 soon. I would rather avoid something that leans too far into festival/hippy territory or influencer baby name, or that is likely to rise into the top 100 anytime soon as I don't want a name that might sound very of it's time in 20 years. Claudia was nearly Aurelia which is beautiful but now everywhere, for example.

I was originally leaning towards Rafe, which also happens to be a family name, but less so now. It has a nice sound, historic roots, and an interesting meaning, but there are the spelling issues and also a friend told me it is the name of character in an american netflix show might signify that Rafe will become very trendy soon if it isn't already? Ralph is already very popular, how many of those are 'Rafe'? The Rafe spelling seems the only way to avoid confusion with Ralph. Is Rafe starting to sound a bit like Max or Zac, everywhere now, or is it still uncommon? A few of these names like Victor, Hector and Edmund might fall into the vintage grandad name trend like Alfred, Arthur etc so I'm wondering if that means they are also due a revival?

The list:
Benedict
Peregrine (I love this name but it is quite marmite. I'm not sure whether people will assume we are Lord of the rings fans alongside the slightly elvish sound of Morwenna, or just find it highly pretentious. We live in the countryside but not in Chatsworth. I like it because it is an old latin name, underused and makes me think of falcons and the outdoors.)
Conrad
Wulfric - too fantasy novel?
Ranulph - not sure how others perceive this?
Francis (Frank) - Trendy?
Geraint - Welsh. Pronunciation issues?
Edmund
Nathaniel
Hadrian
Cosmo (It is an old name, but I think it might sound quite glastonbury/alternative in modern usage? I particularly love the meaning and also like Cosimo/Cosima, but have no italian heritage. Kosmas is the greek version).
August/Augustus (very trendy?)
Hector - trendy?
Ptolemy - too pretentious?
Leofric (it's pronounced Lef-rich, the husband of Lady Godiva) - DH's suggestion.
Galahad - DH's suggestion but I think it is too theatrical for a first name.
Rafe - This spelling to avoid confusion with Ralph now that the latter has become so popular as 'ralf'.
Apollo - Not sure how this comes off, similar to Cosmo?
Constantine
Magnus
Victor
Sylvan/Silvan

Also open to other suggestions that fit a similar niche to Rosamund.

Family names to potentially include in the middle:
Peter or Ralph ('Rafe'. An older family member who is not 'posh' at all so I assume Rafe was once the standard pronunciation.)
maybe Odysseas/Odysseus (quite a common Greek name with a Greek spelling, a name from DH's side). I don't think I 'm brave enough to use this as a first name in the UK.

A list not unlike my own (also a Ptolemy lover) - I have a Nathaniel who goes by Nate as a teen and a Magnus. Also have a Solomon (nn Sol) and a Dexter (named when this was a very unusual name and not what everyone calls their dog!). None have been bullied - many schools now are super diverse with many unusual names so not the issue it was when we were kids. I have a super common name and that is no fun either when there are two others in your class.

I would avoid any names that create matching initials in the family to avoid confusion over post and anything that is not obvious for pronunciation and ideally something pretty obvious to spell.

Benedict and Nathaniel were on my boy list too. I like Conrad too. I also love Vincent but there’s a few of those around these days.

Other ideas -

Edmund
Cassian / Cassius
Ansel
Ambrose
Hadrian

John
Michael

Both outside the top 100. Not unusual but due a revival

David is also well down but I think will be very popular given David Attenborough's profile.

Sholto
Prentice
Egan
Ossian

That goes to show how our perceptions change. I’ve met several lovely Quentins so associate the name with them - cool, sporty boys who go to our local state secondary.

I would also bet that most kids would associate it with the illustrator Quentin Blake or film director Tarantino - neither of which have negative associations imo

My perception will not change.

Gildas
Athelstan

I hope you’re more open minded in reality

@Bellybellas, I hope you’re more open minded in reality
I like a few of OP's suggestions and others suggested on the thread but Quentin is awful. Like Julian, there is absolutely nothing that would make me like it. Nothing would make me like Rafe, Barry or Wayne either but they're not as bad as Quentin.

Alaric

Cormoran and Jago are both Cornish
Hugo
Alfred
Ivo
Colman
Malo

Ludovic
Casimir
Marmaduke
Winston
Hereward
Beowulf
Horatio
Geoffrey
Eadric
Dalton
Isambard
Godfrey
Humphrey
Stanbert
Thornwulf
Norbert
Flavian
Xerxes
Florian
Gaius

Love:
Galahad - Really love this! Probably bonkers but also fantastic.
Cosmo - Love Cosmo, there's a Scottish actor I really like called James Cosmo
Nathaniel - Always loved this name, love it in full rather than Nathan but difficult to get people to always say a full name
Leofric - I like, people might struggle to remember how to pronounce it.

Like:
Hadrian - a wall, but I kind of like it!
Apollo - It's ok. Creed. Space missions. Cool Gladiator (TV show).

Strong associations with other famous people or things:
Benedict - Cumberbatch
Peregrine - Falcon
Conrad - Hilton
Edmund - Narnia
Ranulph - Fiennes

No strong thoughts also not very exciting:
Francis (Frank) - Frank, very common 'old man' name, I can only hear it in an
East End accent. Doesn't seem to fit your vibe. Francis quite nice though

Victor - Bit old man east end like Frank

Geraint - Very easy to remember the pronunciation once told. Also it's a very ordinary boring run of the mill name in Wales, doesn't seem to fit your vibe.

Rafe - Massively popular
Wulfric - There's a few Wolfies/Wulfs around
Magnus - There is a few around, in particular one in Amandaland and I think the name is poking fun a bit about the sort of person Amanda is.

Dislike:
August/Augustus - bit girly
Constantine - Bit wet.

Awful (sorry!):
Sylvan/Silvan - Not a fan at all. Not sure why, I think because it sounds like you haven't finished saying Sylvia.
Hector - Possible a bit trendy, also horrible!
Ptolemy - VERY pretentious.

What a fabulous bunch of names OP! I love something a bit different!

Geraint - Very easy to remember the pronunciation once told. Not true. People struggle with it and stress the wrong syllable. (like if they said Arlo as Are Low or Noah as No Ah.)

I remember a contestant called Geraint on Pointless. The presenter (AA, actor, Trinity College Cambridge on a choral scholarship) really struggled with the name and managed to call him something like Guh-Rant.
Shame because it's a good name.

There's a possibility of him being 'Gerry'.

Titus
Eben
Solomon
Johanne

Well, in my experience this is true. Of course some people will struggle, many struggle with many different types of name. The exact pronunciation may not be perfectly pronounced as per a native northern Welsh speaker which may well differ slightly to a southern Welsh speaker and all the Welsh and non Welsh speaking Welsh in between, but in general it is one of the easier Welsh names to get just about right.

Either way it's a boring common name in Wales, common in the adult population where I am anyway. Most of OP's other suggestions are quite striking, to me this is very boring. I guess if she is not in Wales it would be unusual.

Surely Gabriel would be the perfect name for you!

Amanda's kid is Manus not Magnus. Different vibe. Magnus to me is old Scottish or Viking king, Manus is...actually I have no idea, only heard it in Motherland/Amandaland!

Wyndham

Tristan

@AngelsHadGuitars It shouldn't differ between the North and South.
I've heard enough variants to know that people struggle with it outside Wales - it's a colleague's name.
If they get the sounds right, they stress the wrong syllable.

In Wales it's a nice name but not current. Sir Geraint Evans (1922 - 1992) was a famous one. Geraint Thomas (age 40) is a young one.

in general it is one of the easier Welsh names to get just about right.
It really isn't. You've got the G before an e, the r and the ai to get wrong.
The easy ones are names like Carys, Wyn, Glyn and Bryn.

Towards the south west of Wales they tend to elongate stressed vowels (e.g. say Seren as sairen or Eleri as elairy). In the north west the vowels tend to be open and flat (e.g OK sounds like non-rhotic Or-Kair). This is down to accent not pronunciation. It's the equivalent of saying Trehceh for Tracy because that's how they say it on Corrie or that pasty is parsty

If OP wants to use it and say it how she likes then that's ok by me.

@Excellentsausages , Angus and Manus strike me as slightly problematic even though I like them. Angus and Manus.

From your list Conrad and Augustus by a country mile.

Oh yes, Manus, so it is! Sorry. I do think they have a similar vibe though personally.

Shouldn't differ between north and south? Many things differ between north and south, there are a multitude of accents, dialects and pronunciations in Wales and the Welsh of the north even has completely different words to the south and other areas.

From my experience Geraint is usually said right after once or twice of saying it, more easily than other names, but yes of course there are several that are even easier, our experiences are different and that's ok. We can't argue that either of us are right or wrong because we are different and that's ok, good even, variety is the spice of life and all 🙂

Geraint Thomas is my age and possibly a reason why I find it's more well known how to pronounce it well enough, if not perfectly. I went to primary school in England and we had a Geraint, no-one had any problem with his name, perhaps I have heard it in both England and Wales more often than most.

I also don't think it is a nice name, I have known far too many of them, yes, all adults not a current baby name, but still massively over used and boring, in my opinion.

I still vote Galahad! Perhaps my love for this name nulls my opinion on any other?!😄