Dear Swistle,
We need to call on your expertise, and the creativity of your readership to find something to satisfy our (somewhat bizarre) naming criteria!
We are looking for names:
– with some Christian/biblical link (my criteria)
– with some link to a superhero character or a significant player for the Pittsburgh Penguins (husband’s criteria)
– that isn’t too obviously connected to said person, or indeed any one person/character.
We both agree T’Challa is a lovely name, but no.
– that isn’t cultural appropriation (so definitely not T’Challa)
– not in the UK top 100 (my criteria)
– that won’t be a source of ridicule (husband’s criteria – surely we all try to avoid this?!)
– that are names in their own right (husband’s criteria). This means I can’t offer him a compromise of we’ll name him Richard but call him Ricky. He would argue we need to name him Ricky.
– not a surname name (my criteria)We have approx. 6 weeks to the arrival of baby no. 2.
We already have a son, Xavier (pronounced zay-vee-er) who has the perfect name (not in the UK top 100, saintly, and with a nod to a certain leader of the X-men). The children (we haven’t ruled out having more) will all have my husband’s surname (as do I) which sounds like Ernie but starts with B. A boy would have the middle name John (not a contender for a first name) and a girl would most likely have the middle name Agnes (I would love Agnes as a first name but my husband detests it so I think middle is the best I’m going to get).
Names my husband likes (simple and popular):
Oliver
Jack
Daisy
Sydney
Thea (I have offered him the compromise of Theodora or Dorothea and he said no)I like (old fashioned and a bit foreign?):
Blaise
Inigo
Ivo
Pascoe
Pax
Raphael
Agnes
Arwen
Bronwen
Evangeline
Sadie
VeronicaWe both agree on Eugene. It’s either “the one” (variant of Evgeni (Malkin of the Pens)) or it’s horrible.
So we either have Eugene or nothing for a boy, and nothing for a girl!Please help!
Liz
It’s a little hard to know what’s a reach and what’s reasonable, so I’m just going to fling out options and let you sort them out. I’m also going to say right at the start that I know about as much about saints and superheros as I do about the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is to say I’ll be picking the names right out of Wikipedia articles without doing much more research than that. Like, if I say a name is a saint name, it means that I searched “Saint” + that name and got a result from a Catholic website, and that’s it; I won’t have looked further to make sure it’s not an embarrassing or controversial saint. I should also say that I know very little about UK baby names or which ones are Top 100. So we are off to a very promising start!
Arthur. Saint name, and the name of the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers; he was instrumental in getting the Pittsburgh Penguins going. Also I see there is an Art Ross trophy named for an Arthur.
George. Saint name, and also the name of the first head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Paul. Saint/Bible/Christian name, and also the name of Paul Coffey of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Martin. Saint name, and also the name of Martin Straka of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Philip. Saint name, and also the name of Phil Kessel of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dominic. Saint name, and also the name of Dominik Simon of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Alfred. Saint name, and also the name of Batman’s butler/caretaker/companion and father figure.
Oliver (on your husband’s list already). Saint name, and also the name of the Green Arrow. But I don’t know if I like it with Xavier: it seems like they might be too similar, and they come very close to rhyming.
Remy. Saint name, and also the name of Gambit from X-Men. A little singsongy with the surname.
Pascal. Saint name, and also the name of Pascal Dupuis of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
For a boy, your choice of Blaise seems pretty much perfect to me: it’s a saint name that sounds like a superhero name. [Edit: Commenter JMV points out that the sound of the surname includes the word “burn,” which could be a major plus depending on just how superhero a parent wanted to go, but makes the name way too punny for my own preferences.]
Lois. My mother once mentioned this as a biblical name. When I looked at her in complete bafflement, she said, “Hello?? The mother of Timothy??” The name is mentioned exactly once in the entire Bible, making this an oft-repeated family story illustrating how my mom thinks her level of biblical knowledge is normal. Anyway, the name does in fact appear in the Bible (once) (hello! she’s the mother of Timothy!), and also it’s a Lois Lane reference.
Diana. I lost interest before I could get to the part about whether she’s actually a saint or just someone in church history, but she does show up on Catholic websites. Also it’s the name of Wonder Woman, which seems like the more important part.
Jean. Saint name, and also Jean Grey of the X-Men.
Veronica (on your list already). Saint name, and also from Archie Comics. I realize that’s not exactly a superhero, but I really like the name, and particularly if you’re avoiding nicknames.
The problem with your husband’s preferences is that they work a whole lot better for boy names than for girl names. Women do not play for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and very few superheros are women. So I’m going to ignore those preferences when looking for girl names from now on. And the children will all have his family’s surname, so it seems like we should do something to lean more toward your preferences anyway.
Felicity. Saint name.
Esther. Bible name, and I love it with your surname.
Claudia. Bible name.
Priscilla. Bible name, and one I’m ready to start hearing again.
Lydia. Bible name.
Anastasia. Saint name, and one of my own favorite names. It’s a little long for avoiding nicknames, but Anastasia Krupnik may help with that.
Winifred. Saint name, and I like that she’d get a distinctive initial like her brother did. Winnie with the surname would be a little singsong.
Matilda. Saint name.
Louisa. Saint name.
Beatrix. Saint name. I don’t always like alliteration, but I think it’s pretty great here.
Flora. Saint name.
Name update:
Hi Swistle,
Thank you so much for your advice and the suggestions from all your readers.
Eugene Andrew John was born on Sunday morning. Following your readers’ advice we added Andrew (after his dad) to break up the J sounds, and the initials EAJ he shares with me.
Thank you so much,Liz
PS
If he had been a girl, we still had nothing!
Eugenie or Eugenia for a girl.
Coming here for this!
Wow. Tall order! Superheroes…does Camelot count? I thought of Guinevere, which is also a saint’s name. I really like it with Xavier and with your surname.
Lois is a great idea! Superhero-related, biblical, nickname-proof. I think it’s ripe for a comeback, too.
That said, your husband’s criteria for the name is a lot more stringent than yours, which is…annoying. Does he realize it’s annoying? You’re the one carrying the baby for nine months and going through childbirth, nursing, and beyond, and he’s the one with unusually narrow set of conditions for the name. Hmm. I really hope he’s flexible on some of these points, particularly the superhero/Penguins thing and the no-longer-version-of-a-name issue. It’s borderline unreasonable, especially both taken together.
Anyway.
I always think Martha is an underrated biblical choice, and great with your surname. Not very superheroish, though, unless Martha Stewart somehow counts.
Blaise and Pascoe (or Pascal) are definitely my favorites from your boy list! Both seem like more stylish than Eugene.
I hope your husband somehow comes around to Agnes. I love the name and wish it was workable for us (doesn’t sound good with surname and too close to Alice, our daughter’s name). Can you watch Despicable Me together with your husband? I haven’t seen it, but I hear it does a lot to make Agnes seem cute and current.
Martha is Superman’s human mother’s name. Martha Kent. :)
His preferences also struck me as annoying. Unless they are merely preferences and not dealbreakers, in which case, carry on. (Signed, she who carried the baby, birthed the baby, and continues to nurse the baby and therefore can’t take Sudafed.)
I LOVE the name Eugene, and some pleased that you are thinking of using it. I would amplify Eugenia as a possible name for a girl, but would also put in a nod for Francis (for a girl) and Marian (riff off of Mario Lemieux, its a stretch…)
Wow, that’s a lot of preferences! I love uncommon saint names and superheroes, but I can’t help you with the penguins thing. I don’t even know what sport that team is from! Also, in my circle of Catholics, as long as the middle name is a Christian or saint name, the first name can be pretty much anything. Anyway, here’s my suggestions!
Benedict
Caspian
Simon
Malcolm
Rosemary
Aurora
Cordelia
Peter seems like an obvious choice for your list…very Biblical, very Peter Parker. It’s also an easy one to internationalize in an affectionate kind of way, which you might like.
For a girl, I really like Jean for you. It seems strongly superhero and strongly Christian…plus a nod to whatever your reasons are for wanting John as a middle name for a boy.
I also thought of Eugenia or Eugenie for a girl. I’d also talk to your husband and see if he’d be open to other cross-gender namesakes.
Peter (Parker/Saint), Phillip (Coulson/Saint/Apostle), Leopold (Fitz/Saint), Natasha (Black Widow/means “Christmas Day”), Marie/Marian/Anna Marie (Rogue-name varies depending on source/mother of Jesus/Anna=Biblical reference w/out Marie), May (Melinda May/diminutive of Mary names), James (Wolverine/multiple Bible characters), Mary/Mary Jane (from Spiderman/Mary reference) , Elena (Rodriguez/Yo-Yo, cognate of Helena/St. Helena)
Just chiming in to say I was LOLing through all of Swistle’s response.
Best of luck with the naming and please update us!
Just here to say that Swistle’s suggestion of Dominic seems to go particularly well with Xavier.
Agreed. 100%. That is what I was scrolling down to say!
I agree with the previous posters that said Eugenia was a great option. I like it a lot better than Eugene.
Eoghan (Irish name, pronounced just like Owen) is likely derived from Eugene, so that could be a nod to Evgeni.
Sidney has some fairly uncertain saint-cred, but it (or Sydney, for a girl, if you want a “girl” spelling) definitely fits the Penguin criteria.
I’m late with this but I think Sidney comes from Sidonie/St. Denis!
Boys
I must admit I am not a big fan of Eugene. I strongly suspect that many of Swistle’s suggestions are in the UK top 100 – probably Arthur. George, Alfred and Oliver at least.
My favorites, with Xavier and your last name, from you list and other suggestions are:
Blaise, Martin, Dominic, and Pascal.
Girls
I am guessing Diana is too Princess Di in the UK even though it is Wonder Womans name. I do like the suggestion of Eugenia but not so much without being able to use a nickname. Lois and Martha are okay if you want to go with saints names that reflect girlfriends and mothers of Superheros.
Some other action oriented female Super Heros that have saints names:
Barbara (Gordon) – Batgirls names
Jean (Grey) – from X-Men
Carol (Danvers) – Captain Marvel
My favorite choice would be Mary (from Mary Marvel) though. It fits all of your criteria (although I am just guessing it is not a top 100 name in the UK these days).
Especially given that the superhero/hockey parameter is extremely restrictive for girls’ names, I vote for Veronica. There’s a Veronica in the Bible, of course, but Veronica Dultry is also the original name of the Marvel supervillainess Dragonfly. Plus there’s a super-warrior named Veronica in the manga series “Claymore.” Plus the name’s etymology makes it pretty perfect: depending on whom you ask, it’s either from “vera icon” (“true image,” with a reference to the Biblical character) or from “phero nike” (“bringing victory” — a distinctly superhero-ish meaning!).
Is Veronica in the bible? I thought Veronica is recognised in Catholic and Orthodox tradition without being mentioned in scripture? She is mentioned in the stations of the Cross but again that is tradition, not scripture. Would love to know if she is in the Catholic bible though??
I thought strongly about Veronica for my third child and love the name though mention or not.
Did laugh at Swistle – I would expect any regular churchgoer to know about Lois, I’m on your mum’s side there.
Oh dear – I didn’t laugh *at* you Swistle. More chuckle at how the things we know always seem obvious even if they in fact aren’t. Sorry.
Good point — not in the Bible, but venerated in Catholic tradition!
Plus VERONICA MARS, who is a real superhero.
Girl:
– Joan, for St. Joan of Arc – saint and a hero (yet no superhero). But I don’t think it sounds great with Agnes as a middle. Maybe Joanna Agnes?
– Cecilia – there’s a saint Cecilia (patron of musicians) and superhero Cecilia Reyes
– Felicity – also a saint and there’s Felicity Smoak from Arrow
– Susan – the Invisible Womam and there’s a saint Susanna
Boy:
– Luke – there’s saint Luke, and also Luke Skywaker (yet very popular in the UK)
– Stephen – there’s the biblical Stephen, and Capitain America is named Steve and Doctor Srange is named Stephen
I came to say the Felicity does have the superhero vibe because of Felicity Smoak who happens to be Oliver Queen’s partner and wife. She’s pretty badass but unless you watch the show Arrow, you wouldn’t know. And it is a saint name. Felicity Agnus. On the boy side I wonder if your husband would go for Jonas. It’s blibical and it is Oliver Queen’s middle name so it has the superhero vibe without everyone knowing. Jonas Eugene is nice. I don’t think I could go Jonas John but it really isn’t bad.
I wanted to say the same about Felicity! :)
Guys if you ever want to disappear down a dark rabbit hole of British baby names (or, you know, find out which ones are popular) try this site: http://names.darkgreener.com
You can trace the rise or fall of any name given to at least three babies in any year since the early 90s –
and it compares relative the popularity for boys and girls too.
I love Jean and Esther, and Peter and Philip.
So I’m a Jean and I do like my name (I’m in my early 30s and have always been the only one within several decades). I do wonder though if Xavier and Jean just screams “x-men” a little loudly?
For a girl, I really do love Priscilla with Xavier. I also like Sabina. One thing I will say: these names are relatively nickname proof. I have no idea how they can be connected to the Penguins or to superhero culture, but perhaps male children can have more of an emphasis or tie? I have to agree with a previous commenter that your husband’s expectations from a name are….intensely specific and maybe a lot to ask of a name that he has to agree on with another human who doesn’t have the same specific parameters. However, since Agnes is a saint name, would it be okay if a first name was not? Maybe something like Gwen Agnes? It has a really cute sound.
Or maybe Claire Agnes? Apparently Claire Voyant is the black widow and also a saint name.
I like Raphael and Dominic with Xavier.
As a potential name: Vincenzo. It’s the Hulks name (according to internet research) and a saint name. However, I would say you would almost have to use the awesome nickname Enzo. Would Enzo, inspired by a saint and the hulk, suffice? He certainly sounds like a brother to Xavier to me.
Anyway this was fun to think about and please update us! And hopefully get your hubby to cave on either penguin-superhero or nicknames :)
I don’t love Eugene (nor do as I care for Eugene John for some reason…prob too much “j” sound) but I love the idea of Eugenia/Eugenie. Eugenia Agnes is lovely.
Beatrix Ernie-with-a B?! Swoon Swistle. Beatrix Agnes? I love it! Plus an X connection to Xavier and Xmen. WooHoo!
Yes to Beatrix B-Ernie. It may not be a superhero name but alliteration always makes me think superhero anyway. Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, etc.
I can’t help thinking of the family like of the man who created Wonder Woman, his wife Sadie Holloway, (who became Elizabeth Marston after they were married) and their partner Olive Byrne. But I don’t think I’d want other people’s polyamory to be an active part of my kids’ naming story and I’m poly myself so that’s probably out as an avenue for you.
In general I agree that superhero names for girls is too restricting. Does he like other forms of Science Fiction and Fantasy? It’s late so I’m going to throw out some of my personal favorites off the top of my head and leave the filtering for saintliness and style to you.
From Diskworld Esme and Tiffany seem the most totally heroic to me but Syble and Agnes (or Perdita) are good too. Ursula for Ursula Le Guin or Tenar from her Wizard of Earthsea books. Octavia for Octavia Butler or Lillith and Lauren from some of her works. Hermione is probably too obvious, but lovely now people know how to say it. Cordellia, Elena, Ekaterin, Kareen, or Taura from Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books.
I don’t know comics very well but I like both Alana and Hazel from Saga.
Haven’t been through all of the comments, but I have a Gwendolyn (Peter Parker’s first girlfriend, And now there’s a comic of SpiderGwen,. She has the poster on her wall) and my little’s middle name is Robyn, so that fits the theme nicely as well. Neither were intentional- the G initial was for my late stepfather, Robyn for my grandfather Robert- but they sure made my comic geek husband happy. He was a big fan of Artemis for our second, so we nearly compromised on Diana, too.
So Your guy seems to skew DC, but I’d look at Marvel, too- Peter, Tony, Bruce? Donald if you want to delve deep (Thor’s old school alias, may have been used in the first movie.) Steve (although maybe Cap isn’t quite as appealing?) Natasha (Black Widow), Wanda (Scarlet Witch), Jennifer (She Hulk)
Batman has several Robin names: Grayson, Damian, Tim, Jason, Stephanie, Carrie. There’s also Selena, Barbara, and Helena from Huntress.
This is a fun one!
My suggestion is Talia – a bit biblical (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talia_(given_name)) but also Talia Al-Ghul from Batman / DC Comics. She’s not exactly a goodie but my husband was still keen to name our child after her (it was a no from me though).
Did you ask this question on Mumsnet? Seems familiar!
Nope – I haven’t posted on Mumsnet. Someone is very lucky to have a husband like mine!!!
XMen’s Kitty Pryde is named Katherine Anne, and she’s also gone by Ariel. Granted, Ariel’s an angel, not a saint.
Fantastic Four’s Invisible Woman is named Susan
Emma Frost is now a hero though she started as a villian
Psylocke’s real name is Elizabeth, which although is always popular, I rarely meet more than one per grade
In alternate timelines, Jean Grey and Cyclops’ daughter is named Rachel and she’s a superhero in her own right.
Witchblade’s real name is Sara.
Barbara Gordon was the original Batgirl. (The commissioner’s daughter) Definitely a saint and a hero
Thank you all for your fab suggestions so far; I particularly love Martha, but sadly Martha, Peter, Philip, Dominic, James and Elizabeth are all out because they are close family members.
I’m not a fan of Eugenie or Diana for British Monarchy reasons.
I think I’m going to ramp up the campaigning for Agnes!
I love Dominic Ernie-with-a-B for your boy. And it can also be adapted to the feminine for a girl – Dominique. I live in South Louisiana and we take on the French pronunciation, which I think is beautiful – Doe-men-eek. Both of these options pair well with your selected middle names too!
What about Vesper for a girl? Great Bond girl (not just arm candy) and while not a saint, it’s Catholic -ish. Not in any top 100 and so cool. Vesper Agnes Ernie.
What about…
Helena–Saint/Huntress (DC)
Monica–Saint/Monica Rambeau (Marvel X-Men)
Jessica–Saint/Jessica Jones (Marvel)
Clare–Saint/Clare Temple (Marvel)
Patricia–Saint/Patricia “Patsy” Walker “Hellcat” (Marvel)
Is your DH a Star Wars fan? if so, you could try Sabine or Leia.
What about Violet from the Incredibles? Not sure if it’s a biblical name or not, but I am ready to see little baby Violets running around!
How about Carol (Carol Danvers from Marvel). Not sure about the biblical connection, but Christmas Carols comes to mind and there could be a Christian connection there.
As for a Boy name, I am 100% on board with Blaise. It might run-in with your surname a little, but all-in-all, that would not be a deal breaker for me.
Good luck!
I hate to say it but I think the “rules” for this baby are wayyyy to specific/restrictive, especially for naming a girl. I think a compromise is in order. Perhaps you each give up a rule; he drops the super hero or Penguins requirement, you drop the saint/bible name or UK popularity requirement, for example. Or maybe if it’s a boy his rules apply, if it’s a girl, your rules apply. Or maybe rank your requirements in order of which ones are most important or which ones are least restrictive and remove the bottom 2 or 3. If you are considering more children in the future it may be worth thinking about how these rules may push you into a corner when naming a future kid if you start a pattern of super hero/saint/Penguins connection between all your children. That’s a tall order to fill and I think will only become more difficult with each child.
Too* ugh sorry
What about Selina/Celina!? Cat woman’s real name AND a saint! And it’s a beautiful name.
A few more suggestions:
Marie (rogue)
Kara (supergirl)
Patience (new catwoman)
Melinda (marvel agents of shield)
In terms of the Penguins connection does your husband want a name that ties into the current roster or are former Penguins okay?
Current:
Derek (Brassard)
Matthew (Murray; saint name)
Patrick (Hornqvist; saint name)
Jacob (Guentzel; Saint name)
Past:
Darius (Kasparitis; also a saint name)
Caspar (play on kasparitis; saint name)
Pascal (Dupuis)
Thomas (Barrasso)
Max (Talbot; various saints with Max- names)
And because many a joke has been made over the years and you wanted both penguin and biblical connections:
Satan (Miroslav) 😂
Related to Penguins:
Natalia/Natalie (mother of evgeni malkin and wife of Mario Lemieux; both saint names)
Would Mario be too much? The anagram Moira, if it’s a girl? I really like Pascal, also Nathalie for Lemoeux’s wife.
Someone else already mentioned Wanda for Scarlet Witch, but what about just Scarlet? It has definitive Christian associations with being washed of sin.
I also second Octavia! That was the first name that came to mind. It sounds great with Xavier, has a superhero connection to Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius), and of course a Christian tie-in since Julius Caesar Octavianus was the ruler who made the tax law so that Mary and Joseph needed to travel to Bethlehem.
For boys I suggest Cain/Kane. Seems nickname proof and has obvious Biblical and superhero associations. In fact, Bob Kane created Batman and the villain Penguin so that may even be tribute to your husbands fav team in a roundabout way.
I also love Luther which for me brings to mind Martin Luther, but also Lex Luthor. If your hubby wasn’t against nicknames I’d argue for the Luthor spelling to get the superhero nickname Thor.
What about Penn? Penguins the hockey team and The Penguin from Batman. I like Lex (Luthor) with Xavier as well; a girl could be Lexi.
With the Burn in your last name, Blaise seems like a pyromaniac’s name. Like a person the superhero duels. If that’s your thing, cool. Clearly, there’s a lot of support for the name in this thread, but PYRO was the first thing that crossed mind with the name combo.
Eugene is a favorite of mine that hubby sadly vetoed. For a girl, I love Veronica, Agnes, and Beatrix. The repeating B’s seems total superhero to me.
Ha! I’m glad you noticed that. The kind of thing a person might want to do on purpose—but would definitely want to consider beforehand, rather than noticing it afterward!
Oh wow, so glad you noticed that, I hadn’t! Very dsappointed to say that Blaise is now off my short list.
We still have no joint short list! 4 weeks to go. Argh!
What about Tabitha? Biblical name, means gazelle, there is also a Marvel character called Tabitha Smith – I think she is a mutant who is in X men at one point…. My daughter is called Tabitha and the name works well in my opinion.
Jordan – Biblical connection (River Jordan), superhero Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), and there was a Penguin named Jordan Staal. Not in the UK top 100, and sounds good with your last name.
Also, Kara is apparently the Hebrew for bow/kneel in reverence, and appears in the Old Testament numerous times, and Kara is Supergirl’s name.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/kara.html
Jubilee is a biblical year, and an X-men character.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(biblical)
There are so many names that are superheroes and not top 100, but not related to the Bible (so many with Greek origins), and so many names that are Bible- and superhero-related, but more popular than you want. I agree that it’s hard to get a long list going with these criteria, and especially as you each have style preferences that cause one or the other of you to dislike some that do fit all the criteria.
OK, some more from me (I’m having some fun with this):
Girls:
Julia – in the Bible (once), barely in the top 100 (#93 in 2016), and Julia Carpenter was Spider-Woman.
Leah – in the Bible, #99 in 2016, and Leah of Hel is in Marvel (assists Loki).
Bethany – a place in the Bible, not top 100, and appears in Iron Man (Tony Stark’s body guard, wore the War Machine armor, sometimes goes by Iron Woman?, and in some versions marries Tony)
Eden – obvious Biblical connection, not top 100, a Marvel superhero
Faith – obvious Biblical connection, not top 100, a DC superhero
Lena – origin is from Helena or Magdalene, both Biblical, not top 100, supervillain Lena Luthor (in the Supergirl TV show, she is not a villain)
Madeleine – a saint, not top 100 in the UK, a superhero from the 1940s (Madeline Joyce became “Miss America” in Marvel Comics)
Boys:
Jesse – Biblical, #94 in 2016, superhero Bedlam in Marvel
Aaron – Biblical, #95 in 2016, superhero Machine Man in Marvel
Jasper – precious stone frequently mentioned in the Bible (in the walls of Jerusalem and the high-priest’s breastplate), #98 in 2016, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tobias – not top 100, older name for the Biblical book of Tobit, prospect acquired by the Penguins this year (also a DC Comics name, but a villain there)
Eli – not top 100, Biblical, Marvel superhero Eli Bradley
Seth – not top 100, Biblical, and two (not very strong) ties to the Pittsburgh Penguins – Seth Rorabaugh is a Pittsburgh sportswriter who writes about them frequently, and Seth Meyers (American late night host and comedian) is a big fan from Pittsburgh
Patrick – not top 100, a Saint, and several Penguins connections (very successful general manager Craig Patrick, player Patric Hornqvist. Also the first name of Plastic Man.
Joel – not top 100, Biblical, and apparently Joel Kent is the son of Superman and Lois Lane
Nathaniel – not top 100, Biblical, and the name of an X-Man (Nate Grey)
Elias – not top 100, Greek form of Elijah, and Marvel superhero Cardiac (Elias Wirtham)
Evgeni Malkin is called Geno by his teammates, if that appeals–it’s more unusual and less grandfatherly than Eugene.
More ideas from the top 1000 UK name list of 2016, because this is a good distraction:
Julian – not top 100, a saint, and Julian Keller was the leader of an Xavier Institute training squad and became a superhero named Hellion.
Frank – not top 100, derived from Francis who is a saint, and apparently Frank Pietrangelo was a notable Pittsburgh Penguin “who will be remembered forever in Penguins lore for “The Save” against the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Patrick Division Semifinals.” And Frank Castle is The Punisher in Marvel.
Alan – not top 100, there is a Saint Alan, and Alan Scott was the first Green Lantern.
Paul – not top 100, Saint Paul, and Penguins Hall-of-Famer Paul Coffey
Bryan – not top 100, an alternate name for Saint Brieuc of Brittany, and Penguins Hall-of-Famer Bryan Trottier
Andrew – not top 100, Saint Andrew, and Penguins Hall-of-Famer Andy Bathgate, and Andrew Maguire is Marvel Superhero Alpha
Mark – not top 100, Saint Mark, and Penguins Hall-of-Famer Mark Recchi
Also Marcus – not top 100, Saint Mark, maybe more your style, and notable Penguin Markus Naslund
Kevin – not top 100, Saint Kevin, and notable Penguin Kevin Stevens
Darius – not top 100, Saint Darius, and notable Penguin Darius Kasparaitis
Adrian – not top 100, Saint Adrian, and Adrian Veidt is superhero Ozymandias in the Watchmen comics
Martin – not top 100, Saint Martin of Tours, and Martin Stein is superhero Firestorm in DC comics
Asher – not top 100, Biblical, and Axel Asher is superhero Access in DC/Marvel crossover
Girls next.
Much harder to find girls names of superheroes/Penguins who have a Biblical tie and aren’t top 100, as mentioned above. I listed some in an earlier post – here’s what I can add:
Rachel – not top 100, Biblical, and Rachel Anne Summers is in X-Men as Phoenix.
Philippa – not top 100, a saint, and tie to notable Penguin Phil Bourque
Stella – not top 100, means “star” as in the star the Wise Men followed (a reach, I know), and superhero Stella Maxwell is Starlight in DC Comics
Stephanie – not top 100, derived from biblical name Stephen, and superhero Stephanie Brown (a Batgirl and a Robin) in DC comics
Vivian – not top 100, Saint Vivian, and Vivian D’Aramis is superhero Crimson Fox in DC Comics
Gabrielle – not top 100, related to Saint Gabriel, and Gabrielle Doe is superhero Halo in DC Comics
Adrianna – not top 100, related to Saint Adrian, and Adrianna Tomaz is superhero Isis in DC Comics
Renee – not top 100, means “reborn,” related to Saint Rene, and Renee Montoya is a recurring character in Batman (a detective)
Maria is definitely a Christian name. While it’s very common among Hispanics it’s certainly pan European and I’d say an underused classic in the uk. Maria Hill from marvel is a very badass character and part of agents of shield. Is often in different avengers storylines.
Mercy is also a Christian virtue name. Mercy Graves from DC is Lex Luthor’s body guard and personal assistant. Although technically a villain she’s a fan favorite that kicks ass.
Claire is a saint name. Claire Temple from DC is Night Nurse. This is a very strong character that will fight when she needs to. But she also is a nurse that helps those in trouble and a few superheroes who can’t just go to a hospital when hurt. I like the combination of bravery and nurture in her character.
I think these names are feminine, recognizable, Christian, have an angelic feel, and represent superheroes beyond mothers and girlfriends. I do think there’s a wealth of superhero names for girls but they’re simply less popular than male characters. In that case your husband needs to suggest plenty if he’s going to insist on his requirement. You could also maybe adjust your requirement of names outside the top 100 to outside the top 50. I say this because every year the top names are given to less and less babies so your fear of having many repeats in their school isn’t as big an issue as when we were younger.