Usable boy names for Bulgaria

Alexander has been in a Top 25 boys' name in the US for 30 years now. But namers are still attracted to its imposing historic pedigree.

Russian, Belarusian, Romanian and Bulgarian form of Andrew

In Spanish cultures, and spelled either Bastian or Bastien, this is a fairly common nickname name. The German fantasy children's book The Neverending Story features a young boy character called Bastian Balthlazar Bux, and it has also been seen in several screen versions.

Daniel is one of only a handful of male names that sounds both classic and modern, strong yet approachable, and popular but not cliched. It also has a solid Old Testament pedigree. The only real downside: There are about 10,000 Daniels named each year, making it a less than distinctive choice.

Derived from the Latin word aemulus, Emil is a name with international appeal. Concise and sturdy but with the gentle Em sound, Emil is popular across Europe, from Azerbaijan to Finland, from Germany to Norway, and Denmark. Alternative spelling Emile also ranks highly in Belgium and Canada.

Cool and charming, with plenty of flair and sophistication, Julian manages to strike the balance between being a sensible classic and contemporary choice. Appealingly international, it is no wonder Julian is a rising star.

This attractively energetic Italian version of the classic Matthew is primed to move further and further into mainstream American nomenclature. Mateo is technically the Spanish version, but many parents in the US use the two spellings interchangeably.

Spelling variation of Philip. Exactly as many baby boys were named with the single 'l' spelling in 2017.

Roman is an ancient name trending in a major way. A surprise hit name of recent years, Roman now ranks in the Top 100 not only in the US but throughout the English-speaking world, and is rising in other European countries as well.

Samuel has been so popular for so long that it's hard to believe it's still climbing, at its highest point since the 1890s.