Three Syllable Names for Boys

This Latinate form of Bernard hovered in the lower regions of the US Top 1000 from the late 1940s until 2006, possibly inspired by the character in West Side Story.

This surname ultimately derives from a Galician place name meaning "fig tree", but has spread all over the Spanish-speaking world. It's not certain if it's ever been used as a first name, but it could work - especially as it's reminiscent of the operatic character Figaro.

This ancient saint's name was borne by the infamous midcentury playboy, Porfirio Rubirosa.

The Hawaiian variant Iakona modernizes Biblical favorite Jason.

A rare but rising unisex name more common among boys. Names ending in -ari are a hot subset of gender-neutral names that grows each year as parents create new combinations.

Most parents would prefer to leave the car part parked in the garage.

This form of Adrian ranks in the top 100 in Slovakia, Hungary, and Catalonia (Spain).

Makes a Biblical favorite new and interesting.

Little-used name borne by several biblical figures including a king. It would make an unexpected way to get the nickname Eli - or Kim.

The surname of the 44th US President has been been adopted as a first, for girls as well as boys, by admiring parents around the world. And the O beginning even makes it fashionable. Though Barack Obama's name derives from the Luo people of Kenya, Obama is also a Japanese place name and a surname that means "little beach."

Nice Scottish sound, but too tied to sweaters and socks.

The Arabic name Idrissa is related to the more common form Idris, which is the name of a Quranic prophet usually equated with the biblical Enoch). Idrissa is more commonly seen in North and Western Africa. Idrissa Gueye, the Senegalese footballer who plays for Aston Villa in the UK, is probably the most famous person with this name.

Makes Severin and Severus a little less, well, severe.

Pleasant Irish last name that could be a more masculine alternative to the overused Cassidy. Early kings of Leinster bore the name, which relates to the first name Caomhan or Kevin and can also be spelled Kavanagh, Cavanagh, Cavenagh, and Kavanaugh.

A unisex French name, but you may want to simplify your son's life if you're English speakers by going with Cyril. It's an unusual enough name that it doesn't need further complications of spelling and pronunciation.

Tabari has a haunting, rhythmic feel.

Flann variation that's most familiar as the name of writer Flannery O'Connor. It derives from the Irish surname Ó Flannghaile, meaning "descendant of Flannghal".

A more distinctive alternative to Alejandro.

This was the name of a 2nd-century BC king of Bactria. It was also borne by Saint Pantaleon – also called Panteleimon, as in Lyra's daemon in the His Dark Materials trilogy – who was a doctor martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century. He is a patron saint of doctors and midwives.