9 Letter Boy Names

Only if it's a family name, and even then, better in the middle.

This dignified Old English surname was brought into the modern consciousness by author Armistead Maupin, who wrote the San Francisco stories Tales of the City. There was also a Civil War general named Lewis Armistead.

Moana may be the best-known South Sea Islander name thanks to Disney. This puts a male spin on the appealing nature name.

Celestine is more familiar as a female name these days, but it also has a long history of male usage – most notably, as the name of five popes. It ultimately derives from the Latin caelum "heavens, skies".

Kristofer and all his cousins (and kousins) is an ancient name that was hugely popular from the 1970s through the 1990s, spawning a wide number of variations. Americans will be familiar with this phonetic spelling with an exotic spin.

Prochorus may be a big name for a child to wear, but it has a lively meaning and a New Testament connection.

Pathalan is a rare Irish name derived from the somewhat-less-rare Bartholomew. Nearly 30 baby boys were named Bartholomew in the US last year, but none were named Parthalan.

Name of a poet, this will be one for consideration by literary parents. The name fits well with the current trend towards surnames as given names, but beware the three syllable pronunciation, which may be a trap for the poetically disinclined.

A Middle English form of Adalbert (and therefore of Albert), which was the name of several Saxon kings. Nowadays, Ethel plus Bert is not a fashionable sound, but Albert is feeling fresh again.

When Angel meets the trend for superlative names, this is what happens. Archangel (or Arkhangelsk) is also a town in northern Russia, named after a monastery dedicated to Archangel Michael.

If Brave and Valor still aren't quite daring enough for you, the name of King Arthur's legendary sword could make for an enchanting middle name for a boy. It may be related to the Irish Caladbolg, meaning "voracious".