Names That Are Variations

This variation adds a second n to the more popular Finley, presumably to provide a more direct link to nickname Finn. Both spellings create a distinctly unisex name. The Finnley version, however, entered the US Top 1000 for boys in 2014, and it remains unranked for girls.

This version of Malia (as in Obama) peaked at Number 296 in 2009, though it has lost ground since then.

More commonly spelled with two 'f's, Raffaele is every bit as attractive as the original, and could make a dashing choice.

Melodious and unusual form of a name with an uncountable number of variations. Many will understand it as the more down-to-earth Annalee.

Elizar is the Spanish version of this attractive name, on the cusp of going from uncommon to big.

An everyday name in France, a charismatic possibility here.

Isola (named for the Celtic heroine Iseult) was the unusual name of Irish author Oscar Wilde’s younger sister, who died of meningitis at the age of nine. Wilde later dedicated his poem Requiescat to her memory.

With the rise of many once-dated leonine names, from Leona to Lionel to Leonora, Leandra is an unusual choice that might be looking at a comeback..

Senja is the Finnish form of Xenia as well as the Indonesian word for "dusk."

Faustine has a positive meaning, although the association with the character who sold his soul to the devil may be off-putting. This name is among the Top 100 girls' names in France, but was given to fewer than five baby girls in the US last year.

Variation of Thaddeus.

A variation of Lileas and Lilian.

Common form of Emma found in the Baltic and Slavic states.

More modern options: Shaw, Shay, or even Sean.

Now that Lily has become hugely popular, parents in love with this flower name are looking further afield for substitutes such as Liliane and Liliana.

Ylva may look like it belongs with the Eva family of names, but it actually derives from Ulf, a name meaning "wolf." It's not a very intuitive name to English-speakers, and likely won't get picked up in the US anytime soon. At last count, it was only given to five American baby girls.

Ilsa is remembered as the radiant but tragic heroine of "Casablanca," and it's having something of a European resurgence.

This is the Armenian version of the familia Julia, which has a rich and evocative sound. Other variations are Iuliya, and the diminitive Yulya.

This biblical place-name for the region now known as Yemen started to feel fresh again as the name of the heroine of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal, played on screen by Cate Blanchett.

Variation of the popular religious name, boosted by megastar Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.