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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:
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Notellinganyone · 24/06/2026 20:48

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

Edited

Edmund in King Lear is a bewitching Machiavellian villain!

Ipsevenenabibas · 24/06/2026 20:48

Hector is one of my favourite names.

Vintageelephant · 24/06/2026 20:54

I’ve got a Leonidas! Just a heads up that no one can pronounce it and it raises a lot of eyebrows. My husband is Greek, but if he’s not there to provide the context, I sometimes get the feeling people think I’m mad when I introduce him.

Lovely name though! 😂

MagicThanks · 24/06/2026 20:56

I love Hector and Benedict. Dislike all the others.

17caterpillars1mouse · 24/06/2026 21:23

Cosmo - gentle parented, breastfed til school age, entitled and thinks the world revolves around him. Emotionally immature

Edmund - serious but kind boy with dark hair and brown eyes. Likes reading and animals but not very sporty

Hector - cries alot

Conrad - cool kid, doesnt alwats follow the rules but is intelligent and generally a good friend

Magnus - very musical, has lots of friends, floppy hair as a teenager

Lysander - shy and timid

Rafe - one of the lads, quite sporty but only an average student

Ranulph - loves art, quiet but reflective. Has freckles

Peregrine - bit of a wild child, loves getting messy and being outdoors

Benedict - kind hearted, responsible, intelligent

Leonidas - very sporty and confident

LadyUrsula · 24/06/2026 21:27

Cosmo is the precious only child of very busy parents in their 40s. He's having a very expensive private education. Ma is a successful journalist and Pa is a TV producer. Cosmo will dabble in (aka fail at) various creative endeavours before fulfilling his destiny as restaurant critic for The Guardian.

Edmund is the eldest son of the local vicar and has 5 siblings who all look insipid and pale like their mother. Edmund is rugged and loud like his father and spends his weekends playing rugby. Edmund's ambition is to become the Archbishop of Canterbury but an unfortunate incident involving Class A drugs, a hunky fireman and a couple of stolen goats will scupper that.

Hector is a tall, tough lad whose parents wanted 'posh' names for their children. His sister Hermione is built like a scaffolder and between them they cover the full lexicon of British swear words multiple times a day as they drive around selling burgers from their van.

Conrad will just become an arrogant, insufferable pillock whatever he does.

Magnus writes poetry all day in his attic bedroom, which worries his parents as he's 42 and should have left home by now.

Lysander hates his name because everyone at school calls him Liz. When he enrols at Cornwall College, Newquay to spend all day surfing study marine biology he'll reinvent himself as Xander.

Rafe will be OK as long as he looks like Henry Cavill but the chances are he'll inherit the limp hair, pasty faced, gawky looks of his parents. Far better to just call him Nigel after his father.

Ranulph the red-nosed reindeer...

Peregrine will despise his name because it's ridiculously pompous and the first chance he gets, he'll dispatch his parents in a shooting 'accident'. He'll then change his name to Gary and become a plumber in Hull.

Benedict & Leonidas are pointless names because these boys will just tell everyone their names are Ben and Leo. Ben will become a travel writer and Leo will be his companion photographer.

Bobbyelvis4ever · 24/06/2026 21:32

I imagine Leonidas and Lysander to have parents who think they’re pretty cool / trendy, but not realise everyone else thinks they’re a twat.

the rest don’t seem overly unusual to me

Amiacoolorwarmcolour · 24/06/2026 21:34

Cosmo - a blonde haired child. Into nature and wildlife. Kind & caring.
Edmund - quite spoilt.
Hector - could go either way. I’m getting nerdish vibes. Wears glasses and can get very boring.
Conrad - a bit of a dick.
Magnus - solid, has a wife and 2 kids. Drives a Volvo. Takes the family camping to the south of France. Goes to Centre Parks too.
Lysander - a bit if a player. Has a terrible reputation with women.
Rafe - very attractive. Smokes a lot to stay slim. Wears a cravat. Went to private school. Popular.
Ranulph - intelligent and considerate. Envious of his more attractive and popular friend Rafe.
Peregrine - a small, awkward child. Grows up to get married to a boring wife. No children.
Benedict - goes to private school. Encourages others to be bad.
Leonidas - arty and drinks a lot.

Vintageelephant · 24/06/2026 21:34

Bobbyelvis4ever · 24/06/2026 21:32

I imagine Leonidas and Lysander to have parents who think they’re pretty cool / trendy, but not realise everyone else thinks they’re a twat.

the rest don’t seem overly unusual to me

Oi!! 😂😂

Echobelly · 24/06/2026 22:12

Edmund, Hector, Conrad and Benedict are my favourites from that list - a bit different without making anyone roll their eyes.

Excellentsausages · 24/06/2026 22:15

Cosmo - posh, character in a Bridget Jones style book
Edmund - great name. Like Edward but much warmer. Like the Narnia character
Hector - not a fan, harsh sound, posh, monarch of the glen
Conrad - European aristocrat. International, sophisticated.
Magnus - rugged, Scottish or Icelandic. Wears fisherman's jumpers
Lysander - posh, midsummer night's dream
Rafe - ok, less posh than if it were written Ralph. Slightly rough around the edges.
Ranulph - explorer. Posh or not English. Peregrine - very posh indeed. Iris Murdoch character
Benedict - ok. European, Cumberbatch
Leonidas - Greek, friendly

SequinsandSolerosInTheSummertime · 24/06/2026 22:22

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

Posho names Wink
I like Benedict and Lysander
Could live with Magnus
Rest, nope

Cosmo Sheldrake
Edmund Narnia
Hector the verb
Conrad old?
Rafe Ralph! I like Rafferty or Raphael or Rafi
Ranulph Fiennes again
Peregrine nope, not even Perry from Scrubs (and he was Percival)
Leonidas nope, and Leons are like Dexters and Jaspers and Alfies, naughty atm Wink

Tryagain26 · 24/06/2026 22:27

My initial thoughts

Cosmo. A nick name
Edmund old name , quite posh, villain in KIng Lear
Hector. I know two young Hectors one is European the other British both from normal families but I mainly think of the old children's TV show Hector's house or an old very slow moving man
Conrad. Sounds American
Magnus. I think if Magnus Magnusson or one of the children from Amandaland
Lysander. Shakespeare character
Rafe. Nice name
Ranulph. Ranulph Fiennes the explorer
Peregrine. Posh boy from the 1920s PG Wodehouse character
Benedict. Cumberbach, nice name
Leonidas. Shakespeare character

ExitPursuedByABare · 24/06/2026 22:30

Rafe should be spelt Ralph, but pronounced Rafe. Far too complicated for these simple times.

KnickerlessParsons · 24/06/2026 22:33

Cosmo - not that unusual, but no
Edmund - not that unusual, but yes
Hector -not that unusual, but yes
Conrad -no
Magnus - ok if you’re Icelandic
Lysander - you must be joking
Rafe - not that unusual, meh
Ranulph - yes
Peregrine - hell no!
Benedict - not that unusual, but love it
Leonidas - you must be joking ( unless you’re Greek, but still no)

Ikeameatballs · 24/06/2026 22:37

Cosmo - ok, a bit posh hippy
Edmund - again a bit posh, I much prefer Edwin and Edward
Hector - makes me think of a character from Breaking Bad, quite like the name
Conrad - action move star/character
Magnus - intelligent
Lysander - ok, Lys is not a nickname that is necessarily easy to pull off.
Rafe - always makes me think of a penis
Ranulph - ugly name
Peregrine - dreadful, Perry is a character from Harry Enfield sketches
Benedict - I like this, good alternative to Benjamin but same shortening
Leonidas - will just get Leon or Leo, not bad names but perhaps not what you want?

GingerBeverage · 24/06/2026 22:40

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

Cosmo - Kramer (Seinfeld)
Edmund love
Hector - I know one
Conrad like
Magnus - I know one
Lysander - like
Rafe - I know two
Ranulph - don’t like as much as Randolph
Peregrine - like
Benedict - love
Leonidas - chocolate

Calliopespa · 25/06/2026 07:05

I don't really like Rafe or Magnus.

Otherwise they are probably ok, though I prefer Leonardo to Leonidas. Peregrine would be most unfortunate if he has a beak-like nose.

What about Clovis if you want an old interesting name?

Canoodler · 25/06/2026 07:20

I like Kathy Burke so think you should go for Peregrine.

I would say the collective vibe of your list is posh. But all these names that were once the preserve of the upper classes are very common now. If I wanted a son to appear classy today, I would call him John Paul.

lottiegarbanzo · 25/06/2026 08:37

As a group, wealthy and over-confident, turning to smug pomposity in middle-age.

You did ask.

Having said that, they are also, mostly, lovely names. Peregrine is top of the ‘big name to live up to’ pile, whereas Magnus is just a lovely, less used name. Edmund and Conrad similar but a little more try-hard.

I’d feel sorry for poor Hector though, whose hame says ‘my parents enjoyed mucking about with names more than they liked me’.

Athwart · 25/06/2026 10:35

lottiegarbanzo · 25/06/2026 08:37

As a group, wealthy and over-confident, turning to smug pomposity in middle-age.

You did ask.

Having said that, they are also, mostly, lovely names. Peregrine is top of the ‘big name to live up to’ pile, whereas Magnus is just a lovely, less used name. Edmund and Conrad similar but a little more try-hard.

I’d feel sorry for poor Hector though, whose hame says ‘my parents enjoyed mucking about with names more than they liked me’.

I think Hector is ordinary enough -- I know several, now late teens and early 20s. One is hearty rugger bugger, one is a back to the land hippy who lives off-grid, one is a medical student. Their parents are perfectly ordinary.

I'm not crazy about it because of the association with 'hectoring', but I don't think it's any 'worse' than the other names the OP lists.

MaggieMay0rMayNot · 25/06/2026 10:42

Cosmo - I like it. I do think '90s magazine', then 'cocktail', but neither of these are negative imo
Edmund -I think Narnia before Blackadder, I don't like it. it feels frumpy
Hector - not a good meaning
Conrad - not loving, but saw a tv show not that long ago with a Conrad and it felt more usable after that.
Magnus - quite popular, like well enough though, but what for a shortening? Mags feels a bit feminine
Lysander - again, what shortening other than Lys (sounds like Liz)
Rafe - I know a handful, not uncommon here, quite like
Ranulph - like. Sounds outdoorsy and adventurous
Peregrine - love! I also love Griffin.
Benedict - a bit posh 90s
Leonidas - sounds like a well-travelled sailor

DeeNiall · 25/06/2026 11:46

Lysander - again, what shortening other than Lys (sounds like Liz)
Ly (rhymes with high), Zand.

SkaneTos · Today 11:18

I love the name Magnus, and it's a common name in my home country Sweden. But mostly for men who are in their 40's and 50's now, not among newborns.

It's often combined with Karl or Carl, "Karl-Magnus", "Carl Magnus", etc.

Great name!

WildWindySeascape · Today 11:22

Edmund is the worst character in The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe. I would opt for Peter, underused these days and a fantastic name for a boy.