Names That Are Variations

An older form of Everett that stays closer to its Germanic roots. Distinguished Everard is the name of several historical figures and literary characters, including a minor hobbit in The Lord of the Rings. Yet, even now that Ever- names are the height of style, Everard hasn't been seen on the charts for decades.

Philippe, pronounced fill-EEP, is Philip with Gallic flair.

Taru is both the Finnish word for "epic," making it a translation of the Swedish name Saga, and a pet form of Tarja, the Finnish form of Daria.

A fresh, Italianized take on the Hebrew classic Emmanuel. But beware of the similarities to the feminine name Emmanuelle.

Eiro is to Eirik as Eero is to Eric.

Rylie is a spelling variation of the more-popular traditional Riley. We recommend the "y" at the end rather than in the middle.

This variation of Aviana adds a second n, possibly to make the connection to Anna clearer. On the popularity charts, it first entered the US Top 1000 in 2011 and was one of the fastest-rising girls' names of 2016, entering the Top 500 for the first time.

This Bailey variation is the second most popular spelling for girls, and while the -ee ending does make it more feminine, it feels more substantial in the original form. Bailee and Bayley are two other, less common alternatives.

Valencio is an energetic, valiant-sounding name, the male form of Valencia.

This cognate of Jerome (of all things), familiar via the Dutch painter of fantastical scenes, H. Bosch, would appeal only to the most audacious, intrepid, attention-seeking baby namer. It is, however, still used in Germany, especially in Catholic Bavaria and in the north German Rhineland.

As commonly heard in Rome, Italy, as Steve is in Rome, New York. With the accent on the first syllable, Stefano has a lot of charm.

This popular boy name is occasionally used for girls, too. (Seven of them in 2022.)

Alexandra is a name with many international variations, elaborations and short forms, and Alexandrine is one of the more unusual. Another, Alexandrina, was the first name of Queen Victoria.

Popular in the Hispanic community, unlike its English cousin. It has been very near the bottom of the US Top 1000 for the last three years.

Emira is one of those pan-international names that feels pleasant enough but seems so unrooted to any one culture that it might as well be made up.

Wilder not quite wild enough for you? Wylder offers a less wordy looking alternative that looks cool and on-trend, but also has a preppy, last-name vibe. Though this spelling is currently less popular than Wilder, it did enter the US Top 1000 in 2020 and is given to around 400 babies each year - about half the number that are given the Wilder spelling.

Kalel first entered the US Top 1000 as a one-off appearance in 2009, then reentered in 2013. It's possible that some parents see it as a spelling variant of the classic Arabic name Khalil, meaning friend. Or maybe some—Nicolas Cage, we're looking at you—were inspired by the birth name of Clark Kent, AKA Superman, Kal-El. Cage was long associated with attempts to remake a big screen story about the Man of Steel. He and wife Alice Kim gave the name to their son in 2005.

Sebastian has many international nicknames, and Tian is the short form of choice in Slovenia. It is also spelled Tijan.

Usually spelled XANTHOS, this alternate name for APOLLO has a noble sound (pronounced ZHAN-thos) and can always be shortened to Xan.