Some names that have been on my mind lately...

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

First off, I'm not pregnant or TTC, just daydreaming about possibilities. :)

I'm really starting to like the name Benedict. I will admit that it kind of came back onto my radar due to a certain actor, BUT I've always thought that it has a neat sound. However, in the past, I used to always think of Benedict Arnold. There's also eggs benedict. Now, I don't really care about the associations so I've added it to my list. Of course, my new nephew is Benjamin so I probably wouldn't use it just because I don't want to step on any toes and it would probably be best to avoid having cousins both named Ben. Still, I really, really love it right now.

I also like variations of James besides the name itself. Seamus has been on my list for five or so years now, but it's not one I feel like I would actually use unless I happened to marry someone for whom it was a family name and he wanted to use it. Still, it would probably be a middle name at best. The one that I have been thinking about lately is Hamish. I adore Hamish and have for years when I think about it, but I don't always remember about it because I never got around to physically putting it on my list until just the other week. Hamish is a name I would love to use whether it be a first or middle.

Finally, someone posted on here semi-recently about the name Zachariah or Zechariah. I can't remember which one it was. It sparked my interest in Zechariah again. It's a name I have liked on and off since middle school or early high school.

*** So tl;dr, Benedict, Hamish, and Zechariah: Usable in general? Usable by someone in the US? And on the topic of Zechariah, usable by someone who is not Jewish?