Three Syllable Names for Boys

Both the Spanish Marcelo and Italian Marcello would work well for children of any backgrounds. The name has been in the US Top 1000 consistently since the mid-90s and has been steadily climbing upwards. Deriving from the Roman family name, Marcellus, itself a diminutive of Marcus, Marcelo currently ranks above Marcello and Marcel in the states.

Well used by Muslim parents across the world, Ibrahim is the Arabic variation of Abraham. Significant in multiple religions and with an international and well-travelled feel about it, Ibrahim has been in the US Top 1000 since the 1990s, and is currently popular in Azerbaijan, France, the UK, and Turkey.

Russian diminutive of Alexei, borne by the protagonist in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. Alyosha, like most other Russian diminutive forms, is not generally given as a standalone name in Russia itself.

Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient name was brought into modern usage by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who used it as one of the middle names for his fourth child (a daughter).

A real Greek river, believe in ancient times to lead to the Underworld. It has been in (rare) use as a boy name from 2010 onwards, coinciding with the rising interest in mythological names.

This is an appealing name that could cross cultural borders, but it has lost ground in recent years.

Elysium, or the Elysian Fields, was the Greek mythological concept of the afterlife for blessed and righteous souls. It was thought to be located at the westernmost edge of the Earth.

This rarely used boys name is one of the few gem names for a boy. Obsidian is actually a type of volcanic glass, formed when lava cools very quickly. This ultra-cool name might spark a love of volcanoes and geology in a little boy.

Gallagher is, like so many of its genre, friendly, open, and optimistic. Some might associate it with the fraternal members of the band Oasis, Noel and Liam Gallagher.

A melodic name that's taking off in the African-American community, along with sound-alikes such as Amari, Jamari, and Damari.

Alfredo, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variation of Alfred, is most familiar as the romantic lead in Verdi's evergreen opera La Traviata. On a less romantic note, Alfredo is also the name of a pasta sauce.

The name of the third U.S. President sounds, like Harrison and Jackson, more modern and stylish now than its root name. Used as a first name long before our surname-crazed era, Jefferson was most famously used as a first name by the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, which may justifiably make you not want to use it. Jefferson is the middle name of another Prez, William Clinton.

Only if you're an aviation buff or seriously addicted to popcorn.

One of the more imposing and intriguing of the combo names.

Nikola is generally masculine in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Macedonia, while in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia and the Czech Republic it is usually feminine.

As a Welsh name, Elidor is a modern form of Elidur, an ancient British king name. It was used by British author Alan Garner for the eponymous hero of his children's fantasy novel Elidor (1965).

Balthasar was one of the biblical Three Kings who visited the infant Jesus, also used by Shakespeare and in the oil-rich Getty family; offbeat and intriguing. Balthazar is another, equally appropriate spelling.

Amaris is unisex name with a Musketeer-esque feel to it: gentle and poetic, but cool and adventurous too. A variation of the Biblical name Amariah, it is given to three times as many girls than boys, though this gap has been narrowing in recent years.