Baby Boys for Mary!

I love all of the feedback from the Faith & Family Live article "Baby Names for Mary"! I saw many beautiful names in the comments that I couldn't list in the article for space reasons. Some that I thought of, I never saw. And some I saw, and thought, "Why didn't I think of that!"

One commenter asked about boys' names. I considered including them, too, and if space had allowed I probably would have added a section for them. Boys' names are a bit harder, though. There are so many great and worthy names for boys from other sources, and the attributed meanings of "Mary"--"beautiful," "grace," "lady" (although not so much "bitter" and "sea")--are decidedly feminine. So some of these are a stretch. Of course in some cultures, and by many religious, the name Mary is used as a second name. It's been done here before, but most people want decidedly masculine names for their boys.

Mario is one of the most obvious; Marius is related. There's Marion, the given name of John Wayne, and Mark, which has mostly a phonetic similarity in its favor in relating to Mary.

Merritt is possibly derived from Mary, star of the sea, and possibly Old English for "boundary gate." Mabry has similar origins; Mayes could also be from "Mary" or May. Gilmore is Irish, meaning "servant of Mary."

Reginald (Reggie!) could be adopted in honor of Mary's queenship. Pax and Placido honor her as Queen of peace. Stellan is a great name that, though etymologically different, can be used as a masculinization for "Stella Maris." Of course there is Christian, as she is the Help of Christians. Gold, Golden, and Aurelius (for "House of gold") have entered the name fray. And what about Mary's title as the Tower of David?

Speaking of David, Jesus' genealogy, which is also Mary's by blood or law, could be mined for names. (Different versions are given in Luke and Matthew.) There are well-known names like Seth, Jared, Noah, and Nathan. Names like Keenan and Joram are versions of such ancestral names. Mary could have been biologically of the house of David, i.e. descended from Judah; or, as the cousin of Elizabeth, she could have been descended from Aaron and Levi. (Or both, as St. Thomas Aquinas held.)

Another approach to Mary could be through the saints who had a particular role during her life: Joseph, her husband; Joachim (or Joaquin), her father; Gabriel of the Annunciation; Simeon, who prophesied her partaking of her Son's Passion; John, who became her son at the foot of the cross; Luke, whose gospel is distinctly Marian and who is said to have painted her portrait. (Joemar combines "Joseph" and "Mary" into one name.)

It would be impossible to list all the saints devoted to Mary, but some had particular connections to her. She gave the scapular to Simon Stock at Carmel, her miraculous likeness to Juan Diego, and three secrets to Francisco at Fatima. Dominic popularized the devotion to the Rosary. Louis de Montfort promulgated consecration to Jesus through Mary. And of course, our beloved John Paul's motto was "Totus tuus."

And I think Loreto would be a great devotional/place name for a boy.

Can you think of any?