Rare male names: a list of Russian names

Usually, as soon as a woman finds out that she is pregnant with a boy, she immediately wonders what name to choose for him, despite all the superstitions that a name cannot be invented in advance. In this article, we have compiled a list of rare and unusual handsome male names - mostly Russian, but also foreign as well, as the latter are becoming more and more popular in Russia and to some extent even familiar. We will also pay great attention to the meaning of these names, because their sound and rarity are far from the most important moment in choosing a suitable name for the son.

Rare male names

But, before proceeding directly to the names, it is worth making a note on how to choose them best, since there may be disputes between future parents on this topic, sometimes lasting a very long time. But the choice of a rare and beautiful masculine name for a boy is a really important issue, which is worth considering carefully.

So, study most of the possible options and choose from them the five most attractive to you. Then join the board with your spouse or spouse and decide which of the chosen names both of you like. If you still have several equivalent options for rare unusual male names, then contact the arbitrator - parents or close friends who will advise you to choose the most suitable one.

What to remember when choosing

And in any case, no matter how beautiful and original your name may seem, it’s worth imagining in which society the boy will grow up and how he will be treated with a similar name. Still, do not refine your imagination.

In addition, now many people believe that the chosen name will greatly affect the character and destiny of a person, therefore it is especially important for them to harmoniously combine the beautiful sound of the name and the meaning that it is endowed with.

First, you can recall several Old Slavonic names - majestic and melodic.

Old Slavic names

Bogdan means “given by God,” and parents often give their son such a name if his birth was long-awaited, associated with fears and anxieties about his fate, often, by the way, this is a late child.

Vladimir, as everyone knows, can be interpreted as "owning the world." Initially, this is a pagan name, but it has been preserved as a Christian after the Baptism of Russia. Boys with this name are most often endowed with strongly pronounced leadership qualities, and this manifests itself quite early, but in general they are obedient and neat.

Vsevolod is a name with a semantic load similar to the previous one, “owning everything”, which also manifests itself in the character of a person, as well as perseverance, poise and harmony of personality.

Rostislav - “the one whose fame is growing”, is distinguished by an easy calm attitude to life, often an extrovert. In the future, the list of beautiful Old Slavonic names can be continued with the numerous names of the Old Russian princes, which end in "glory". All these names will be well suited for the boy, since they already had carriers in Russian history that literally “charged” this name with strength and good energy.

Beautiful Russian rare male names can be found in abundance in ancient Russian chronicles. It is safe to say that there are suitable options.

Old Russian names

Old Russian names are also distinguished by melodiousness and beauty; they are even easier to decipher: Tikhomir, Boleslav, Lubomyr, Boguslav and others. These rare male names are less common than Old Slavonic names. But, you see, they sound nevertheless very familiar to the Russian rumor.

Rare names for modern Russian reality, widely used before the spread of Christianity in Russia, are now gaining more and more popularity, and well-deserved. Also, Slavic names began to be used more often in principle - those that are of Bulgarian or, for example, Polish origin. This is natural, since the abundance of foreign, but already too widespread names forces future parents to look for something unusual, interesting, but at the same time turn to the roots, to names that sound close and familiar.

In almost all nations, men's names emphasized various positive features of their owners - strength, endurance, masculinity, nobility and courage. And if, hearing a foreign name, we do not immediately understand this moment, then the sound of Slavic variants almost immediately makes us understand what quality should ideally be endowed with a name carrier.

Orthodox option

And if the traditions of Orthodoxy are strong in your family, then the most reasonable decision will be to look into the church calendar and find out whose nameday is celebrated on the day when the son was born. Most often, a day is commemorated for several saints at once, so there will be a choice anyway, although for secular circles such a name may seem outdated and completely unusual.

Borrowed

The list of Russian rare male names can be continued borrowed from other languages, but successfully acclimatized. Most of them have Greek and Jewish roots, but there are also names in Latin. Names of a similar origin spread in Russia shortly after the adoption of Christianity, and most often we are no longer perceived as unusual - Olga, Elena, Alexei and others, but among them you can find ones that are used quite rarely.

For example, Valentine goes back to Latin and translates as "healthy, strong." If you believe that the chosen name will affect the health of the future son, then this is one of the best and most beautiful options. Augustine comes from the name of the ancient Roman emperors, the title denoting "full of dignity, greatness," most often it was in circulation in higher circles, as well as among the clergy. The name Vivian appears to be rare and beautiful, which originates from one of the Roman tribal nicknames, and it, in turn, corresponds to the adjective “living” in Latin. Albin is also a Roman name. By the way, many names that came to us from Latin are widely used in monasticism, but are practically unknown in secular circles, although they are also unusual and beautiful - Juvenal, Adrian and others.

Famous in antiquity was the name Konstantin, which stands for stamina, and now is not the most popular. The following names have Greek origin: Akaki (not committing evil), Nikita (winner). The name of the god of wine Bacchus can also be used as a variant of the rare name. On behalf of God, who patronized various arts, the name Apollinarius also occurs. "Awake" means the name of Gregory, which in our time can be found extremely rarely. Mostly as a spiritual name Dorotheus is used (in translation - God's gift).

Jewish Names

A list of rare male names can be compiled using Jewish names for him, many of which can be found in the Old and New Testaments, but they continue to be used in everyday life to this day. These are Bartholomew, Barlaam, Aaron, Job, Solomon, Samuel - the list goes on and on.

Rare male foreign names

Also, a good choice would be any foreign name, which for your country, perhaps, is not so rare (and most often - on the contrary, quite widespread, otherwise the chance for a Russian person to know about it is rapidly decreasing), but in Russia it’s will sound pretty unusual and interesting.

It is important to consider the associations that may arise with any name. Choosing it among foreign ones, it is easy to attach too much importance to the appropriate meaning, but forget about the sound, or, conversely, get carried away with the sound, completely forgetting about the meaning. In addition, do not forget about how the name of the son will be combined with his surname, as well as patronymic. Again, the foreign option is more difficult to choose, since most often combining it with a Russian surname sounds funny at best, and at worst - ridiculous and stupid.

Additional reason for choosing a foreign name

A completely different situation arises if your family has foreign roots - then the choice of a foreign name for your son will emphasize his origin, and also serve as a reminder for his foreign relatives or ancestors.

Some names look both familiar and unusual in a Russian-speaking environment, such as Rudolph (it has ancient Germanic roots and means “red wolf”), Albert (he also has an ancient Germanic origin - “brilliant, shining”), German (there are several versions of the origin name - the most common is that by which it comes from the Latin word "brother, dear"), William (from the English word "desired"). The same names include Edmund (from the Old English words “luck, happiness”), Karl (the name common to kings is translated from the Old German as “man”), Modest (had circulation in Ancient Greece, but his Latin origin is “modest” ”) Or Daniel (another form of the name Daniel, has Jewish roots and means, like so many others,“ God's gift ”).

Other rare male names may look more exotic, for example, Sylvester (translated from Latin: “forest”) or Dominic (“belonging to the Lord” in Latin). The German name Roland (“native land” in translation), Justin (again, the Latin name is “direct, fair”), Arnold (from ancient German “eagle power”) or Christian (from Greek “Christian”) sounds beautiful.

Eastern names

You can also escape from European options and turn to the East, where beautiful rare male names also abound. For example, the Armenian name Sarkis means “guarding”, Arabic Akram - “the most generous”, and Ahmad - “laudable”.

In the Muslim tradition, there are many chanting names: Karim (“noble”), Ali (“tall”), Osama (“lion”), Tariq (“morning star”) and many others.

When Muslims choose a name for their son, there are some very reasonable advice for them: first, do not choose the name that tyrants and despots used to bear, as well as associated with pride and excessive self-praise. Secondly, it is good to call boys the names of the prophets - this will invoke grace and happiness in their lives. But these are just recommendations.

Short list of male names

So, now to summarize some of the results. In general, you can make a small list of the rarest male names in Russia: Arnold, Anuvius, Alain, Basilisk, Hector, Gregor, David, Giovanni, Ephraim, Ermak, Elizaris, John, Ignat, Innocent, Kuzma, Karl, Luchesar, Laurus, Macarius , March, Micah, Miron, Nestor, Naum, Otto, Orion, Plato, Peacock, Patrick, Ruben, Richard, Said, Stefan, Spartak, Tryphon, Theophanes, Christopher, Caesar, Julius.

What else to remember when choosing a name

But in any case, no matter how you decide to name your son, it is worth remembering that by giving him an unusual rare name, you certainly distinguish him from your environment, try to provide him with personality, but at the same time you can doom him to eternal future in the role white crow, which is fundamentally different from the team. So do those who call their children exotic names like Earl, Prince, complex - Alexander-Amethyst, or with too bright Slavic coloring, for example, Svyatoslav-Lyutobor. Most likely, such rare options will not add to the child’s self-confidence, but will only turn him into an object for constant ridicule of peers, especially in childhood and early adolescence.

Possible negative meanings

And even if the name does not have any negative associations with the parents, it is worth thinking about others: names like Adolf or Friedrich can create certain problems for the child, because not all of these names are colored completely neutral. Although, of course, a similar problem can occur with any name, but much less often than with the above and similar ones.

Pros of an unusual name

But, on the other hand, if a person with a rare name does not focus on this, remains balanced and modest, it unwittingly begins to cause sympathy and respect from others. Such a person can really begin to be perceived as a strong character, unusual and interesting. Most often this happens if the parents, giving their son a rare name, often explained his origin to him, taught him to love him and be proud of him, but to the extent that he did not consider that an unusual name alone could make others love him, respect and exalt .