7 Letter Boy Names

Leandre, the French form of the name of a Greek mythological figure, the doomed lover of Hero, is gaining modern notice in France. Leandre is one of many leonine names, including Leopold, Leo, Leonie, and Leon, that are fashionable now.

Seems to stand at attention and salute.

The name of the capital city of ancient Syria, an important centre in early Christianity. Its founder Seleucus I Nictor named it after his father, Antiochus. Antiochus was the name of several early rulers and saints, including the patron saint of Sardinia.

The son of Lancelot and Elaine in Arthurian legend, Galahad is the purest and most chivalrous of the Knights of the Round Table, and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail. The derivation of his name is unclear. It may come from Welsh Gwalchafed (hawk of summer) or "gwalch" + "cad" (hawk of battle), or it may be an anglicization of the place name Gilead in Palestine. Certainly a bold and brave choice for a baby boy!

This was a popular name in early Ireland, borne by both saints and kings. In Celtic mythology, Fiacra was the name of one of the three children of the sea god Lir, who was changed into a swan by his stepmother Aoife. Saint Fiachra of Meaux, a 7th century Irish hermit who settled in France, is a patron saint of travelers and of gardeners because of his skill in growing vegetables in his garden. The name is still well used in Ireland; Fiacre is the French spelling, Feary is an Anglicized form.

Trivia tidbit: Hotel Saint-Fiacre in Paris was named after him, and taxis operating outside it came to be called fiacres, a name later given to cabs in general.

Ralphie is one of those short forms that have been out of style for so long it just might have a chance of coming back in, if you can get past seeing it as a desperate attempt to cute-ify a stodgy old man's name.

Long popular in Ireland and England, Ciarán is the name of Ireland's first-born saint and twenty-five other saints. While this is the authentic Irish spelling, it is more familiar in the US in the Anglicized Kieran spelling.

A more distinctive alternative to Angelo.

Lleyton is the novel spelling publicized by Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt. Other double 'L's are found in such Welsh names as LLOYD and LLEWELLYN. VARIATIONS: LAYTON, LEYTON

This name of a son of Noah, whose descendants were said to have populated Europe, was well used by the seventeenth century Pilgrims. Pronunciation challenges would seem to hinder its chances for resurgence today, but "Ja" names and obscure Old Testament names are both trendy these days, so you never know.

Yardley is an English surname with a distinguished vibe, a la Chauncey and Clancy. Extremely rare for either sex, it would make a stand-out choice that still fits in with current trends.

Common nicknames for Christopher in Ireland, we think Christy or Christie have a certain cheery charm, especially now that Chris is feeling less ubiquitous.

Distinctive-sounding Scandinavian name. with deep roots. Short form is the attractive Jari.

Unusual two-syllable choice with a real pronunciation challenge.

Ericson, also spelled Erickson and Erikson (and with -sen endings too), is a Nordic surname that makes a strong choice. Ericson may continue the trend Harrison, Jefferson and Jackson started.

Sure, and we hope he has a good time playing with Buster and Buddy.

Scandinavian names are fashionable these days, and Torsten is one that is used only occasionally: About 20 baby boys were named Torsten in the US last year.

Popular in the Hispanic world and used in honor of Saint Augustine, Agustin is an anglicized form of the Spanish Agustín. It peaked at Number 561 in 2001 in the US charts and has since dropped on and off of the list again. Given to around 210 boys in a recent year, Agustin also ranks highly in Chile and Uruguay.