Names That Are Variations

We all know K is a very trendy letter right now, but what was wrong with Corbin?

A unique relative of Zoe via the Ancient Greek name Zoilos, borne by a 4th century BC cynic philosopher.

What with Paul Simon's classic lyric about Julio down by the schoolyard and several distinguished bearers, this livelier Spanish version of Julius is completely familiar to the non-Hispanic community and would make a great choice for a bicultural family. NFL Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones bears this name.

If you want to go waaaaay beyond William, consider this Welsh form, which can also be spelled Gwilym, Gwilim, or Gwillym.

Cole and Kole — at their most stylish in the early 2000s — are now being passed over for modern favorites Colton, Colt, Colter, Colson, et al. Nonetheless, Kole is still floating just at the bottom of the US charts.

A surprising entrant into the US Top 1000, given that this variation of Nicholas is primarily used in Switzerland. Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson was a character on the TV show The Vampire Diaries.

This variation came to public attention via a reality-TV star on MTV's "Real World."

This shortened variation of Aaron—it was Elvis's middle name—is now a widely used choice.

Julietta feels newly fresh and friendly thanks to the growing familiarity of Juliet and French sister Juliette.

This variant of the Arabic Zayd actually ranks higher than the original in the US. In the contemporary American culture, however, this name could be viewed as an alternative to recently invented name Zade.

Strong and attractive form of Cyril.

In Roman mythology, Iana was an epithet of Diana, goddess of the moon.

Attractive, underused name made famous by the heroine of The Color Purple. Still, if you're going to go to Celie, why not go all the way to Celia or Cecelia? You can always use Celie for short.

As Elodie filters into the mainstream, parents may turn to the rarer Spanish form Elodia as an alternative.

This spelling has been on the rise since it entered the charts in 2004, hot on the coattails of trendy Avery.

Rowan has been shooting up the charts on both the boys' and the girls' side, carrying the appeals of a trendy "o" vowel, a soft sound, and a nature connection to top it off. The modern variation Rowyn has followed in its footsteps and while the traditional spelling is used five times more often, Rowyn is still given to around 250 girls each year.

For Sam-lovers who want to make a slight detour off that well-traveled road.

Most male Emaris use their name as a variation of Amari, which is pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. It is a truly gender-neutral name, given to baby girls and boys in similar numbers. Names ending in -ari are also one of our top trends of 2021.

This lovely name is all but unknown outside Italy but fits perfectly in with the fashions for vowel-starting names that are elaborately feminine. Might make a distinctive alternative to Angelina or Arianna. Downside: People will inevitably mistake it for Adriana.

Instead of the usual French suspects -- Danielle, Isabelle, Gabrielle -- why not consider Fabienne, which is less common and just as pretty.