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Baby names

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

Vibe check on these more unusual boys' names please

76 replies

LimeslemonsPomegranates · 24/06/2026 03:56

I would like to vibe check these names. Many of them are more unusual so they probably have a stronger mental image or stereotype attached than names used more widely. What do you imagine boys with these names to be like?

Cosmo
Edmund
Hector
Conrad
Magnus
Lysander
Rafe
Ranulph
Peregrine
Benedict
Leonidas

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Athwart · 24/06/2026 09:49

Katiesaidthat · 24/06/2026 09:06

The evil king of the Belgians was Leopold.

Duh, thank you. In my defence, I’m jet lagged. 😀

MCF86 · 24/06/2026 09:56

I really don't like Cosmo, but that's because I knew one and he was awful.
Edmund Blackadder and Hectors House both immediately come to mind, but they wont amongst their peers I'm sure!

Conrad doesn't fit with the others to me. I guess the others sound "posher". I don't mean that to come across as a criticism in either direction.

Would you be using/do you like shortened nicknames (Benny, Leo, Perry?), because their friends likely will. My brothers name now is not the version we all called him growing up!

allthemind · 24/06/2026 10:00

I like Perry for Peregrine. No one will call him Peregrine though. Some bright spark in Year 4 will call him Falcon and that will be his playstation nickname and online avatar forever more.

boysmuminherts · 24/06/2026 10:09

Cosmo - very posh
Edmund - normal name
Hector - know two, perfectly fine
Conrad - know one, normal name
Magnus - know one, normal, Scottish
Lysander - Shakespeare vibes
Rafe - gorgeous, wanted to call my DS2 this
Ranulph - explorer
Peregrine - obsure royal family vibe
Benedict - Cumberbatch
Leonidas - Greek restaurant

viques · 24/06/2026 10:14

Edmund and Conrad are lovely names. timeless.

if you wanted a bird name I would go for Falcon , which was the middle name of Captain Scott ( of the Antarctic) is less wussy than Peregrine but is the same bird so has the same associations.

Rafe is a possibility but over aspirational unless you are from an acting dynasty.

SleepingStandingUp · 24/06/2026 10:26

Cosmo - middle class hippy parents, long hair, lots of pets, hand made clothes.

Edmund / Hector / Magnus / Lysander / Rafe / Ranulph / Peregrine / Benedict / Leonidas - posh middle class, largely sensible, bright, ambitious parents.

Conrad - working class, nice kid, decent parents.

Pemba · 24/06/2026 10:28

They're all quite posh, but maybe you are posh OP? 😊 Only you know if this type of name will fit in with your extended family, where he's likely to be attending school, etc.

I really like Edmund and Lysander (the vibes for me are medieval knight/kid in the Narnia books, and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' respectively.)

Conrad is quite nice and a bit less posh than the others. Don't mind Benedict, although I find Benjamin much nicer.

Cosmo manages to be both overly posh and also geeky. Peregrine is probably the most pretentious, and I dislike the inevitable 'Perry'.

IaltagDhubh · 24/06/2026 10:29

Cosmo - magazine or cocktail, sounds a bit feminine to me.
Edmund - the twit from Narnia, or Blackadder, not keen.
Hector - I can only hear this in Jennifer Ehle’s voice from The Camomile Lawn - “Heck-tahh”. Can never remember if Hector was her husband or her dog (the other one was Hamish). This is definitely a good thing in my mind. I was obsessed with the series/book in the 90s. I finally planted a camomile lawn in my garden this year. It also makes me think of the ship Hector which took the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia.
Conrad - makes me think of boring mdf furniture for some reason. Also gives banker or estate agent vibes.
Magnus - only if he’s likely to grow up to be tall, blonde and scandi looking.
Lysander - shortened to Sander is okay, but I fear he might get Lys/Lice which would be bad.
Rafe - I just can’t get past the fact that it’s one letter away from rape.
Ranulph - ugly name. Sounds like you’re trying to stifle a burp.
Peregrine - Peregrine Vale from The Invisible Library, a good association. But he always goes by Vale. Also, Perry is Kevin the Teenager’s best friend, definitely a bad association.
Benedict - Bridgerton!
Leonidas - isn’t that a meteor shower?

So basically, Hector, Benedict, and possibly Magnus are the best.

Bellybellas · 24/06/2026 11:32

They’re all great names!

What does ‘posh’ even mean in today’s world? Lots of ‘posh’ names are increasingly being used by ‘normal’ people and have therefore become mainstream eg Hugo, Sebastian, Quentin etc

Lieben · 24/06/2026 11:57

Cosmo and Dibs or a cocktail
Edmund not as nice as Edward
Hector ok it’s a bit cartoon charactery
Conrad I don’t know why but I immediately think robot,
Magnus I like it
Lysander I hate it, it make me think of salamander
Rafe not keen
Ranulph nicer than Rafe prefer Rudolph/Rudy
Peregrine nope sounds like a Victorian detective
Benedict it’s fine I know three not including Cumberbatch all go by Benny. Prefer Benito.
Leonidas Leon is lovely without the idas.

DeepRaven · 24/06/2026 12:33

LimeslemonsPomegranates · 24/06/2026 03:56

I would like to vibe check these names. Many of them are more unusual so they probably have a stronger mental image or stereotype attached than names used more widely. What do you imagine boys with these names to be like?

Cosmo
Edmund
Hector
Conrad
Magnus
Lysander
Rafe
Ranulph
Peregrine
Benedict
Leonidas

thrye all cute names but NOT Lysander. Your son is NOT a toilet cleaning product.

DeeNiall · 24/06/2026 12:40

By the same OP:
Is Rafe still rising in popularity? How many Ralphs are pronounced Rafe? | Mumsnet
List of boys names. Looking for a slightly unusual historic classic | Mumsnet

Cosmo - OK but a bit unusual, Landesman puts me off
Edmund - Ed, Narnia
Hector - ok but Hec isn't or the meaning of to hector
Conrad - Heart of Darkness
Magnus - Magnusson, Pike. Mags?
Lysander - wet
Rafe - bad spelling of Ralph
Ranulph - Fiennes
Peregrine - Perry. Duke of Devonshire, Worseley.
Benedict - Ben's ok, Benedict a bit long name for Ben that's not as nice as Benjamin
Leonidas - greek heritage. He'll be Leo.
(Quentin isn't mainstream and is awful)

Most of them seem a bit try-hard. Edmund, Hector, Conrad and Magnus are OK.
It depends on who he will mix with.

RubyEspadrilles · 24/06/2026 12:41

DeepRaven · 24/06/2026 12:33

thrye all cute names but NOT Lysander. Your son is NOT a toilet cleaning product.

Is there a toilet cleaner called Lysander? I Googled but couldn't see one. Do you mean Lysol? I don't think sharing three letters with a toilet cleaner is particularly bad or all the Harpers and Dominics are in for a shock.

Lysander is the man who made husbands jealous, to me, or a character from Midsummer Nights Dream. I like it,.

Favourites on OP's list are Conrad, Perry for Peregrine, and Rafe, but I don't hate any of them.

backformoreofthesame · 24/06/2026 12:45

Edmund, Hector , Magnus and Rafe seen ok to me

cosmo seems American
peregrine is a bird of prey
i don’t like I like Benedict Cumbwrback
I hate the two L names lies-ander and Leo is trying to hard

HairyToity · 24/06/2026 17:35

Our builder is called Cosmo, love it! There is a Hector at my son's state school who's an absolute sweetheart. Withstanding Cosmo and Hector, they are very posh.

MindYourMannersDarling · 24/06/2026 17:37

I really like a lot of them!

Hector and Edmund were on my list for ds. Vetoed by dh though 😒

Skybluepinky · 24/06/2026 18:10

Your list the names on July have become more popular, so if you are thinking that you are choosing something different you aren’t. The only one I don’t know a child called is Lysander but the fact Jilly Coopers Rivals is on, it’s only a matter of time before people start reading her books and it’s the lead character in The Man Who Makes Husbands Jealous he is a gigolo so probably not what you were thinking of.

permanently · 24/06/2026 18:11

Hector for the win!!!!!

timoteigirl · 24/06/2026 18:59

Cosmo - like it. Like Cosmo and Luna as sibling names
Edmund - yes, history and Narnia books
Hector - died in Troy. Guitar music
Conrad - yuk. very harsh ugly name in my opinion
Magnus - not sure how said in English
Lysander - feels like a surname
Rafe - Rafiki in Lion King
Ranulph - feels like an old man name
Peregrine - like nature names
Benedict - like although pope name so could be seen as very religious
Leonidas - Spartan 300.

user293948849167 · 24/06/2026 19:52

Cosmo - very posh, a bit bohemian
Edmund - I really like it, traditional but uncommon
Hector - makes me think of a mean old man!
Conrad - I like
Magnus - great name
Lysander - Midsummer Nights dream, nice name but not my personal taste
Rafe - not keen
Ranulph - awful
Peregrine - ridiculous, pretentious
Leonidas - I like Leo but this is a bit of a mouthful

Tryingnottobeamouse · 24/06/2026 20:03

Cosmo - very posh, far too smug
Edmund - sickly, weak. Edward is much better
Hector - strong man, no substance
Conrad - intelligent, well rounded, bit boring
Magnus - strong and silent
Lysander - dreamy and a bit mystical
Rafe - really like Rafe, classy, intelligent, down to earth
Ranulph - a bit old fashioned, stuffy
Peregrine - artsy, posh hippy, musical, theatrical f
Benedict - public schooled
Leonidas - European, Leo is very approachable

ivyleafgeranium · 24/06/2026 20:08

Cosmo and Hector are pet names. I see border collies, black cats and pugs.

Shelleyblueeyes · 24/06/2026 20:09

Not too many of those where I live!
😂

Yamyamabroad · 24/06/2026 20:33

I'd think the mother was a huge Jilly Cooper fan.

Notellinganyone · 24/06/2026 20:47

I have an Edmund myself and I love it ( he’s 26 now). I’m Greek and was tempted by Lysander. I like all the others bar Peregrine.

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