Three Or More

     A friend of mine is soon to give birth to her fourth daughter.  This little sweetie, much to my delight and honor, is to be my one and only God-daughter!  (Did I mention how honored I am?)  While I was reflecting on what that means and what an amazing responsibility that is,  I found some inspiration.  My friend likes 3 syllable names, probably because they roll off the tongue rather sweetly and they often have pet names that are simple and just as sweet.  But while my friend is sifting through all the female saints, I thought to go through the list of male names as well.  Below are my favorites from each letter of the alphabet.   I think any of these fabulous three-or-more syllable names could give any modern Catholic some great inspiration!

Boys:

Atticus--A literary inspiration and Hollywood favorite. A 4th Century Bishop.
Bartholomew--Quirky, cool, and cutting-edge.  One of Our Lord's Apostles.  
Cornelius--Irish without all the vowels.  A 3rd Century Pope.
Damian--Long past it's horror movie days.  Manly, yet gentle.  St. Damien of Molokai.
Ezekiel--A cool Biblical name.  Call him Zeke, but you could get Ezee, too!
Finnian--Fun, whimsical, and Irish.  St. Finnian was the father of Irish monasticism.
Gideon--Another fresh choice for Biblical name leaning parents.
Ignatius--Bold, brave, and decidely Catholic.  Even Iggy is fab!  St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Jeremiah--A Biblical name to replace Jeremy.  Plus, he's on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Leonidas--The loudest "lion" in the pack.  Many saints bear this bold, brave name.
Malachy--Traditional and Irish, with long-e on the end.  St. Malachy's Papal Prophecy.
Nikolai--International flair makes the old seem new.  Russian form of St. Nicholas.
Obadiah--Another Biblical choice with a sci-fi flair.  You know, Obi Wan....
Peregrine--Cutting-edge with literary cred.  St. Peregrine is patron of cancer patients.
Raphael--Exotic and cool, with a fab nickname.  The Archangel that gets overlooked.
Sebastian--Perfect for your little sport.  He's the patron saint of atheletes.  Call him Sebbi!
Tobias--A definitely Catholic Biblical name with the cowboy/country nickname, Toby.
Vittorio--Italian version with fab "v" and cool "o."  Fresh spin for St. Victor.
Xavier--No matter how you say it, this is way cool.  St. Francis of Xavier.
Zacharias--Biblical name in place of old fashioned Zachary.  St. John the Baptist's father.



Girls:

Adelaide--A personal favorite.  Sweet and strong.  St. Adelaide was filled with many graces.
Beatrice--Classic but fresh.  Try Beatrix for spunk.  St. Beatrice de Silva.
Cecilia--Sweet and melodious.  Patron saint of musicians.  Mary Cecilia is heavenly!
Dorothea--Modern, sleek, romantic, and quaint.  St. Dorothy was meek and humble.
Eulalia--Soft and sing-songy with a nautical connection.  St. Eulalia is patron of sailors.
Felicity--Means happiness.  Seems perfect.  St. Felicity was martyred in the 3rd century.
Genevieve--Strong and French with great nicknaming potential.  The patron saint of Paris.
Helena--No matter how you say it, she is fab.  St. Helena found the True Cross of Our Lord.
Isadora--Perfect replacement for the overused Isabelle/a.  St. Isidore the Farmer.
Josephine--Traditional and sweet.  Spunky JoJo; sweet Josie.  A way to honor St. Joseph.
Lucilla--More complete than Lucy, but still as sweet.  Several saints bear this name.
Marguerite--Delicate and French, not frilly.  Call her Daisy.  Plenty of St. Margarets.
Naomi--A Biblical girl's name for out-side the box parents.  Sweet, with the long-e.
Octavia--Romantic and exotic "o" name.  St. Octavianus was a North African martyr.
Philomena--Feminine, hip, and definitely Catholic.  She's the patron of youth.
Rosalie--Another soft, sweet name.  St. Rosalia is patron of Palermo.
Seraphina--Perfect for your little angel.  Also a celebrity favorite.  
Theodora--Dorothea backwards!  This version gets a slight edge.  Cute nicknames, too.
Virginia--What's not to love about naming your daughter after the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Zenobia--Exotic with a literary twist.  St. Zenobius was Bishop of Florence.