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 beautiful male names - mostly Russian, but also foreign ones, 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 point in choosing a suitable name for a son.
Rare male names
But, before going directly to the names, it is worth making a note about how best to choose them, since disputes on this topic can arise between future parents, sometimes lasting for a very long time. But choosing a rare and beautiful male name for a boy is reallyimportant question to think about.
So, explore most of the options and choose the five you like the most. Then join a council with your spouse and decide which of the chosen names you both like. If there are still several equivalent variants of rare unusual male names, then contact the arbitrator - parents or close friends who will advise you to choose the most suitable one.
Things to remember when choosing
And in any case, no matter how beautiful and original the name may seem to you, it is worth imagining in what society the boy will grow up and how he will be treated with a similar name. Still, do not excel in fantasies.
To everything else, now many people believe that the chosen name will greatly influence the character and fate of a person, so it is especially important for them to harmoniously combine the beautiful sound of the name and the meaning it is endowed with.
First, you can remember a few old Slavic names - majestic and melodic.
Old Church Slavonic 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 was also preserved as a Christian one after the Baptism of Russia. Boys with this name are most often endowed with strongly pronouncedleadership qualities, and this manifests itself quite early, but in general they are obedient and accurate.
Vsevolod - a name similar in meaning to the previous one, "owning everything", which also manifests itself in a person's character, as well as stamina, 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 numerous names of Old Russian princes that end in “glory”. All these names will be well suited for a boy, since they already had carriers in Russian history who literally “charged” this name with strength and good energy.
Beautiful Russian rare male names can be found in abundance in ancient Russian chronicles. It's safe to say that there are suitable options there.
Old Russian names
Old Russian names are also distinguished by their melodiousness and beauty, they are even easier to decipher: Tikhomir, Boleslav, Lubomir, Boguslav and others. These rare male names are less common than Old Slavonic ones. But, you see, they still sound very familiar to the Russian ear.
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 in principle began to be used more often - those that are of Bulgarian or, for example, Polish origin. This is natural, since abundanceforeign, but already too common names makes future parents look for something unusual, interesting, but at the same time turn to roots, to names that sound close and familiar.
In almost all nations, male 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 the Slavic variants almost immediately makes us understand what quality the name bearer should ideally be endowed with.
Orthodox version
And if the traditions of Orthodoxy are strong in your family, then the most reasonable decision would be to look into the church calendar and find out whose name day is celebrated on the day your son was born. Most often, the day of remembrance of several saints is celebrated daily, so in any case there will be a choice, although for secular circles such a name may seem outdated and quite unusual.
Borrowed
The list of Russian rare male names can be continued with borrowed from other languages, but successfully taken root. Most of them have Greek and Jewish roots, but there are also names in Latin. Names having a similar origin spread in Russia shortly after the adoption of Christianity, and most often they are no longer perceived by us as unusual - Olga, Elena, Alexei and others, but among them you can find those that are used quite rarely.
For example, Valentine goes back to Latin and translates as "he althy, strong." If aif you believe that the chosen name will affect the he alth of the unborn son, then this is one of the best and most beautiful options. Augustine comes from the name of the ancient Roman emperors, a title meaning "full of dignity, greatness", most often it was in circulation in the highest circles, as well as among the clergy. Rare and beautiful is the name Vivian, which originates from one of the Roman generic nicknames, and it, in turn, correlates with 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 - Juvenaly, Adrian and others.
Known in antiquity was the name Constantine, which means stamina, and now is not the most popular. The following names are of Greek origin: Akaki (who does not do evil), Nikita (winner). The name of the god of winemaking, Bacchus, can also be used as a variant of a rare name. On behalf of the god who patronized various arts, the name Apollinaris also comes. “Wakeful” denotes the name Gregory, which is extremely rare in our time. Mostly as a spiritual name, Dorotheus is used (translated as God's gift).
Hebrew origin names
A list of rare male names can be compiled using Hebrew names for it, many of which can be found in the Old and New Testaments, but they continue to be used in everyday life to this day. Such are Bartholomew, Barlaam, Aaron, Job, Solomon,Samuel - the list is endless.
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, it is quite common, otherwise, the chance to learn about it for a Russian person is rapidly decreasing), but in Russia it will sound rather unusual and interesting.
It is important to take into account 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 by the sound, completely forgetting about the meaning. In addition, do not forget about how the name of the son will be combined with his last name, as well as patronymic. Again, the foreign version is more difficult to pick up, since most often combining it with a Russian surname sounds funny at best, and ridiculous and stupid at worst.
Additional reason for choosing a foreign name
A completely different situation arises if your family has foreign roots - then choosing a foreign name for your son will emphasize his origin, and also serve as a reminder of foreign relatives or ancestors.
Some names look both familiar and unusual in the Russian-speaking environment, such as Rudolf (it has Old German roots and means “red wolf” in translation), Albert (he also has Old Germanic origin - “brilliant, shining”), German (there are several versions of the origin of the name - the most common one, according towhich it comes from the Latin word for "brother, dear"), William (from the English word "desired"). The same names include Edmund (from the Old English words “luck, happiness”), Karl (a name common among kings, translated from Old German as “man”), Modest (was in circulation in Ancient Greece, but his origin is Latin - “modest”) or Daniel (another form of the name Daniel, has Jewish roots and means, like many others, “God's gift”).
Other rare male names may look more exotic, such as Sylvester (Latin for "of the forest") or Dominic ("belonging to the Lord" in Latin). The German name Roland (“native land” in translation), Justin (again, the Latin name is “straight, just”), Arnold (from the ancient German “eagle power”) or Christian (from the Greek “Christian”) sounds beautiful.
Oriental names
You can also digress from European options and turn to the East, where beautiful rare male names also abound. For example, the Armenian name Sarkis in translation means “guarding”, the Arabic Akram means “the most generous”, and Ahmad means “commendable”.
There are many melodious-sounding names in the Muslim tradition: Karim ("noble"), Ali ("high"), Osama ("lion"), Tariq ("morning star") and many others.
When Muslims choose a name for their son, there are some very reasonable tips for them: firstly, do not choose a name that tyrants and despots used to wear, and also associated withpride and excessive self-praise. Secondly, it is good to call boys the names of prophets - this will call grace and happiness into their lives. But these are just suggestions.
Short list of male names
So, now let's sum up some results. In general, you can make a small list of the rarest male names in Russia: Arnold, Anuvius, Alen, Basilisk, Hector, Gregor, David, Giovanni, Ephraim, Ermak, Elizar, John, Ignat, Innokenty, Kuzma, Karl, Luchezar, 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 the environment, try to provide him with individuality, but at the same time you can doom him to the eternal future in the role of a white crow, which is fundamentally different from the team. So do those who call their children exotic names like the Count, Prince, compound ones - Alexander-Amethyst, or with too bright Slavic coloring, for example, Svyatoslav-Lyuborobor. Most likely, such rare options will not add self-confidence to the child, but will only turn him into an object for constant ridicule by peers, especially in childhood and early adolescence.
Possible negative meanings
And even if the name does not have any negative associations with parents, it is worth thinking about others: names such as Adolf or Friedrich can createcertain problems for the child, because not everyone has these names painted quite neutrally. Although, of course, a similar problem can occur with any name, but much less often than with the above and others like them.
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, this involuntarily begins to arouse 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 parents, having given their son a rare name, often explained to him his origin, taught him to love him and be proud of him, but in moderation so that he does not consider that only an unusual name can make others love him, respect and ex alt him..
