Aries inspired names

Thaddeus, a distinguished, long-neglected name, has several areas of appeal: a solid New Testament legacy, a nice antique feel, and the choice of several more modern nicknames and international variations.

Very rarely used for girls, but New York socialite Kelly Bensimon and photographer Gilles Bensimon gave it to their youngest daughter in 2000.

One of the coolest of names, thanks to legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk, who inherited it from his father. It has been used very sparingly since the 1960s--just a sprinkling of baby boys receive the name each year. Monk's middle name Sphere is pretty unique too--a cousin of Cosmos and Cosmo. Some other jazz names to consider: Bix, Ellington, Ella, Etta, Mingus, Dexter and Calloway. :

Theodora is one of the most revival-worthy of the charmingly old-fashioned Victorian valentine names, softly evocative but still substantial, as is the reversed-syllable Dorothea.

With Theodora showing signs of revival, this rare saints' name could be an appealing alternative.

Alternate spelling of Tibor used in the horror book series Necroscope.

The thistle is the botanical emblem of Scotland and would make a good if unusual patriotic choice for people with Scottish heritage. One of the few flower names that could be worn by a boy with as much ease as a girl.

Pronounced like Tom, but not everyone will know that.

A solid classic with plenty of history, Thomas strikes the balance between strength and gentleness. A favorite in the UK, a staple in France, and Australia, and never absent from the US Top 100, Thomas feels like a safe bet and a name that fits into any era.

One of those feminizations that came over shortly after the Mayflower but has been lost at sea ever since.

Pre-Thomasina female form of Thomas, now seen as more literary and upscale British. In Thomas Hardy's novel The Return of the Native, a leading character is Thomasin Yeobright.

Though rarely used now that many parents would rather appropriate men's names than sweeten them with feminine endings, Thomasina does have some vintage appeal.

A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The most common modern American pronunciation is "thor-OH", with emphasis on the final syllable, although Thoreau himself pronounced it "THOR-oh".

As the mythological Thor morphs into a modern baby name, the variations Thoren and Thorin feel like real possibilities, not just in Scandinavia but around the Western world.

An ancient Norse name that is still in regular use in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. A famous historical bearer is Thorfinn Sigurdsson (or Thorfinn the Mighty), an 11th century Earl of Orkney.

Some sources give Thorin as a variation of the thunder god name Thor, equivalent to Thoren, while others says it comes from the verb að þora, meaning "to dare." This is a dwarf's name that first appeared in the thirteenth century mythology compilation Prose Edda, which, along with the Poetic Edda, represents nearly all of pagan Scandinavian mythology. Tolkien later used the name for character Thorin II Oakenshield of The Hobbit.

Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorn? Add an E to give it a surnamey spin.

Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorne? The E ending gives it a surnamey spin à la Hawthorne.

Despite Thornton Wilder, playwright of the perennial Our Town, only a handful of baby boys receive this name each year..

Thurston Howell was the snooty millionaire on Gilligan's Island, but these days such surname names don't have the same elitist air.