Names That Are Variations

Widely used in the Latino community, the name gained renown in the nineties for its association with rapper Gerardo Mejía of 'Rico Suave' fame.

Netta ranked in the US Top 1000 in the 1880s, when it was often used as a short form of names such as Jeanette, Annette, and Antoinette. In Jewish families, Netta was typically seen as a variation of the Hebrew name Neta.

Herby and aristocratic Basil remains a tough sell, but we’d like to introduce you to Basile, the delightful French version. It retains all of Basil’s charm, but sheds some of the pesto linkage.

A lesser-used spelling variation of Layla, Leila et al. In Jewish mythology, Lailah is the name of an angel associated with the night and fertility.

Classic Finnish name also found in neighboring Estonia.

Jalen variations are all over the Top 1000 of 2015 for both genders, and this oddly-spelling version earned spot Number 933. This trend is clearly on the decline, however.

If English is your native language, it might be best to go with Fleur.

Saar is a very popular girls' name in The Netherlands, where it's an abbreviated form of Sarah. The Dutch feminine Saar, pronounced sahr, is distinct from the Hebrew place-name Saar used for boys in Israel.

There are so many variations of this name in circulation, it makes it hard for any of them to feel as special as they might.

A nouveau elaboration of Arya that may have also been influenced by the rise of -ani ending names such as Leilani.

Albertine and Alberta are old-fashioned feminizations ala Geraldine and Roberta. This is the kind of name that sounds very dowdy until a hip celebrity chooses it, at which point we don't know how we missed its coolness all this time.

This unusual spelling was introduced via the hot young star of Gossip Girl, Chace (born Christopher Chace) Crawford, and experienced some mass interest, though it has fallen down the charts since it peaked in 2009. Think of it as a combination of cool-guy names Chase and Ace.

An old-school great-grandpa name, like Irving and Ernest, that may just be ready for revival. It's also a well-known name in Hungary and elsewhere in central and eastern Europe. As a surname, it's associated with jazz sax player Booker Ervin.

Artemio gives energy to this august Greek mythological name.

Frequently cited as an example of cruel baby naming, à la Ima Hogg.

Unlikely to catch on in the Anglophone world, where parent name Ludwig still conjures up images of Beethoven. But Ludvig actually ranks among the top boy names in Norway and Sweden, while German form Ludwig ranks among the Top 100 boy names in Germany and Ludovico is cool in Italty.

Like many spelling variations of popular names, Jonathon's star rose and is now falling along with that of the original Jonathan. Jonathon occupied the very last spot on the boys' US Top 1000 in 2016, at Number 1000. Parents in search of an Old Testament boys’ name today tend to look for more original choices, from Ezra to Abraham to Moses.

Form of Jasmine commonly used in Turkey.

An entrancing, beguiling name that goes far to freshen up Sarah.

Chosen primarily by coveters of the sleek and spiffy German sports car, which is actually spelled Porsche. The Shakespearean version of the name is Portia. The one advantage of the Porsha spelling, popularized by Real Housewife Porsha Williams, is that is clarifies pronunciation.