Names That Are Variations

Even though the pronunciation of Ceara and the more usual Ciara is KEER-a, most Americans would tend to mispronounce this spelling variation as Sierra.

Former Top 5 choice in Slovenia that now sits below the Top 20.

Part Jason, part Jayce, this name has been among the Top 500 names for boys near-consistently since the late 1960s. While it's a reasonable spelling especially if you're naming your son after someone named Jay or another name that starts with the letter J, it's one of those names that will eternally need to be spelled out for people. But then again, so are classics like Elisabeth and Sara and Jon.

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad.

The Welsh form of Tristan, and the name of a counselor to King Arthur.

In the US, Emmanuel has held steady around the Top 200 for a quarter century now, but this variation has dropped off the Top 1000 for three of the past seven years. It was Number 974 in 2016.

Auden is increasing in use for girls each year, and the feminized spelling Audyn is beginning to follow along. Parents are loving the gentle but unisex sound of this surname, associated with poet W.H., Auden.

Kaiya reached a peak of Number 652 in 2002. This spelling performs worse than its sisters Kaia and Kaya, and it likely creates more pronunciation confusion.

Ugo is very common in Italy, but here it might call to mind that little Yugoslavian car.

Souline was unknown in the US until 2019, when YouTubers Landon McBroom and Shyla Walker chose it for their baby daughter. The following year it debuted on the charts with 36 parents following suit. It's as soulful as it sounds, with meanings that embrace both the sunny and somber sides of life.

Why does Mairi (rhymes with Harry) seem so much cooler than Mary? This Irish form of Mary was not used before the seventeenth century, as it was considered too sacred. The vocative case of the name, Mhairi (pronounced VAH-ree), is also used as a given name in Scotland.

Jenna is overheated, but Jemma is still cool. Jemma and Gemma are most heard in Australia but are increasingly used in other countries.

Cool Finnish name ripe for import.

Obscure form of an old-fashioned favorite that's poised to make a comeback. This version, which owes as much to Alison as to Louisa, has a stylish A beginning and a multi-syllabic feminine grace.

This spelling is more unisex than either Luca or Luka, perhaps because it is also an Italian city name. However, it fell for both genders in 2021, as the Disney movie Luca sent that spelling skyrocketing.

Yoadan is the Amharic form of the biblical name Jehoaddan — a queen of Israel. Yoadan debuted on the charts in 2021, likely due to Ethiopian influencer Yoadan Ephrem.

This is an offshoot of Duane, which is an old Irish surname. It took off in the 1960s, when it conveyed a surfer boy image, and reached as high as Number 111 in 1961. The most prominent current bearer is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The basketball superstar spells his name DwYAne Wade.

See PHILOMENA.

Not cutting edge, but still graceful and feminine.

A Portuguese classic, typically spelled with a tilde over the A. Many members of the Portuguese royal family were named João, and today it’s associated with a number of Portuguese and Brazilian footballers.