Antique boys’ names can be an elusive target. Past generations of parents just didn’t leave us much to draw on. While girls’ names swung in and out of fashion, the same boys’ classics—John, William, James—dominated decade after decade. If a name never falls out of popularity, it can’t develop vintage style.

But one kind of vintage name is stacked on the boys’ side: surnames. American parents of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries left behind a wealth of boys’ names adopted from British Isles surnames.

The right surname crossover can take you back in time with a stately formality few modern names can match. Take the presidential name Rutherford B. Hayes, which seems eternally posed for a formal portrait. The difficulty is that the name style of the time was heavy with consonants. That makes many of the old surnames a tough sell in this lighter fashion era. Another presidential name, Millard, is a prime example.

To find throwback surnames with modern style potential, I looked to the edges of current trends. I identified 25 old but uncommon surname crossovers that have recently jumped in popularity, but remain unusual. (None rank among today’s top-1000 names for boys.) I think you’ll sense a potential that Millard can only dream of, a balance of stateliness and freshness. That’s vintage name magic.

25 Stately Surnames for boys, in descending order of current popularity: