Names That Are Variations

Philippine would be taken as an ethnic identification rather than a name in the U.S. Better try Philippa, though if you don't mind eternally correcting people, Philippine can make an interesting alternative. Pippa can be a short form of Philippine as well as Philippa.

More common -- when it was common -- with the Meyer spelling.

Elaboration of Rachel sometimes seen in France, but more rarely here.

Alison by any spelling is now considered more of a mom name than a baby name. It's been trending downward for more than a decade, though it still makes the Top 1000.

Did you really mean to name your child Channel, as in the body of water? Like, you know, the English Channel? Or were you going for the last name of the French designer Chanel, with a soft "sh" sound at the beginning and the emphasis on the last syllable? If so, we recommend sticking with the Chanel spelling.

Gioele is among the Top 50 names for boys in Italy, though the Italian version would cause pronunciation and spelling problems for English speakers. In the US, UK, or Australia, stick with the sleek and simple Joel.

Part of a group of similar midcentury names rarely given to babies today.

Panna is a name with many allusions — in addition to those above, a serene and sacred city in India and the Italian word for cream. Panna might make a fresh alternative to Anna or Hannah.

This name taken from one of the legendary founders of Rome suddenly feels more possible for a baby in the English-speaking world, with the rise of many Rome-related names, from Roman to Romy to Romilly and Romaine.

Has an incomplete feeling....

Romola is a literary name most notably used by George Eliot for her eponymous 1862 novel set in fifteenth-century Florence. It just may appeal to the parent looking for a name that embodies the ideal blend of the feminine, unusual, and strong. A current bearer is British actress Romola Garai.

This cousin to Colton, a very widely used name, never matched its popularity and is now losing ground.

Attractive attenuated form of the popular Christopher, well used throughout Europe, appearing as Christophe in France and Christoph in Germany.

Finella and cousin Fenella, which are found most often in Scotland, would make pleasing imports.

Andoni is the Basque version of Anthony, no longer a common choice in Spain.

Portuguese variation of Matthew.

Constantina is a pretty, feminissima, if lengthy, variation on the Constance theme. The fourth century Constantina, also known as Constantia and Constantiana, was the eldest daughter of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and his second wife Fausta, daughter of Emperor Maximian. Constantina received the title of Augusta by her father, and is venerated as a saint; in English she is also known as Saint Constance.

Haylee dropped out of the Top 500 for the first time since 1992 recently, in step with a decline by Hailey (though the alternative Hadley is still near the Top 100). For some, Haylee is one E too many, but it reflects the broader popularity in -lee suffixes.