Names That Are Variations

Female form of Neal, now more popular in Ireland than its male counterpart.

Daya, popularized in the US as the name of a character on Orange Is The New Black, the variation Daia has recently been chosen as a name by Dutch rapper Willie Wartaal for his daughter, born in March 2016.

Both Jair and Yair have been in and out of the US Top 1000 since the 2000s, and while both are currently taking a break from the charts, Yair in particular is quietly gathering attention. Given to 182 babies in 2023, Yair is simple and distinctive and fits in with the recent interest in off-beat Biblical names.

Kaylin and all of its forms have made many appearances in the Top 1000 in recent years. Kailyn is also the Turkish goddess of crossroads, kings and queens.

Spelling Camden with a K makes it less of a place name—Camden is a downmarket city in New Jersey and an upmarket area of London—and more of a Kardashian-era confection, or maybe konfection. Both Kamden and Camden are in the Top 500 boys’ names.

A Welsh diminutive of Tomos/Thomas, or just a simplified spelling of Tommy.

This spelling just barely made it into the Top 1000 for 2013, but nonetheless was an on-the-rise name for the year.

Plausible name for parents with Slavic roots, known as the wife of Alexander the Great.

A name that is truly honored in France, as the name of several saints, artists like Daumier, and writers like Balzac.

Pronounced MY-keh, this German form of Mary was very popular a few decades ago. Might make a fresh alternative to Mikayla and sisters. The Frisian version is Maike, and the Biblical male Micah sounds the same.

Breccan may be the original saints' name, but in the modern U.S., the spelling Brecken is the most popular form, followed by Breckin. A winner by any spelling.

Aiden has spawned a legion of offshoots used mostly for boys but sometimes for girls too, and Kaidyn is one such name. Though it has been predominantly used on boys in recent years, it was given to girls almost equally in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

The Finnish form of Andrew is featured in mythology as Antero Vipunen, a giant in Finland's national legend the Kalevala

With Natalie and Natalia in the US Top 100, it is perhaps not a surprise to see a spelling variant enter the US Top 1000. New for 2023, Nataly was given to nearly 300 baby girls.

Attractive form still très Parisienne.

Deriving from the names Sania, meaning "second" or Saniyya meaning "brilliant", it is the single Y spelling that has been preferred in the US, probably owing to its similarity to popular Aaliyah. The name entered the Top 1000 in 2004 but has been out of favor since 2019 when it disappeared from the charts. Still given to 150 girls each year however, it easily crosses cultures and gets you to the possible nickname Sunny.

A rare and romantic take on Basil.

The Turkish transcription of Furqan, another name for the Quran.

Once a birth order name, now might work as a cool x-ending nickname. But be warned that it sounds very close to an unfortunate slang term.