Names That Are Variations

Dariela may have a not-quite-authentic provenance, but it's a pretty name and an unusual choice in the girly Isabella-Gabriella group.

Onezime is a rare name that experienced the highest usage in French-speaking locales prior to the twentieth century, including French Canada and parts of Louisiana.

Classically, the De- prefix indicates "son of," so any variation of this name could work for the child of a dad named Shawn or Sean.

Kiley is one of the more reasonable of the Kylie variations, which also include Kilea, Kilee, Kileigh, Kili, Kilie, Kylee, Kyley, Kyli, ad infinitum. Despite its similarity to the popular Riley, the high ranking Kylie will ensure that this choice comes with spelling confusion. For our part, we'd rather people stuck with the original Kylie, especially seeing as that is a Noongar Aboriginal word.

Nicandro might be of interest as a blend of two Anglo favorites -- Nicholas and Andrew.

Ovidia is the unusual feminine form of the ancient Roman Ovidius, most famous as the name of the exiled 1st century Roman poet Ovid. Modern male form Ovidio is known in Spain and Portugal. Ovida is another variation.

The name recently given to their daughter by Susan and Robert Downey, Jr. is pronounced like Avery and may be seen as a kree8tiv spelling variation of that popular unisex name or a girlish short form of Avraham, the Biblical Hebrew form of Abraham.

A unisex Scandinavian name. Joa is more common for boys in Finland but equally split between sexes in Sweden and Denmark.

Unlike Pamela and Melanie, Mela feels fresh and unusual.

While Kayla has been a mainstay in the US Top 1000 list since the 1960s, alternate version Keyla is relatively new, first entering the charts in 2002. While this spelling also has the possibility of being pronounced KEE-lah, it's most likely to cause confusing and frustration in the shadow of the much more popular spelling.

Rauno originated in Finland as a variation of Norse names beginning with Ragn-, most notably Ragnar. The name is also heard in neighboring Estonia.

The more popular Aiden becomes, the more spelling variations we see in the Top 1000. This version was as high as Number 271 in 2009, though we recommend choosing a different spelling if you're set on this uber-popular moniker.

Domitille is the French form of the ancient royal name Domitilla. Domitille is used today, and is much fresher than similar-sounding Dominique.

This is another form of the name the angel Raphael assumes for himself when he becomes human. One of the few attractive Biblical names that has not yet been discovered by modern parents, Azarias is certainly ripe for the taking.

One of many takes on the Keira/Kyra concept, this one was chosen by ice-skating champ Kristi Yamaguchi.

Luxury baby name associated with Jacques Cartier's eponymous jewelry company.

Attractive if phonetically confusing; also pronounced exactly the same as the Renault car.

Feels more modern than the Y version but also less authentic.