Names That Are Variations

Rocking out on the porch with buddies Hubert, Norbert, and Osbert.

Hava is an anglicization of the Hebrew name Chava, which, like its English form Eve, means "life". In some accents, it may sound like "have a", so it's worth considering if this will be an issue combined with a last name. But overall, it's an elegantly simple name with a great meaning.

Julia is a name that's ancient and hallowed enough to not only have many variations, but for its variations to have variations. Juliana has been consistently used in the US and Europe, sometimes spelled Julianna. Yuliana or Yulianna is the Russian version. That Y at the beginning makes the name sound distinctly more exotic in the US.

This is an old Irish name associated with such heroes as the seventeenth century chieftain, scholar and poet Manus O'Donnell. In this country, though, parents would not find Manus as pleasing or impressive as Magnus.

French given and surname.

Roody was introduced to the world by musician Allen Stone, who named his son Roody Rocket. Roody is among the most unique celebrity baby names of recent years.

A spelling that would definitely attract a lot of attention -- and a certain amount of confusion as well.

The enduring form of Nicholas in countries that speak predominantly Germanic languages.

Verane is a French name largely unknown outside its native shores: No baby girls were given this name in the US last year. But with Vera's steady rise over the past decade or so, Vérane might be discovered.

This version of the more familiar Paulina is occasionally used in the US, though some may see it as relating more to the word pole than to the classic Paul.

Turns Axel into a word name.

Kylah makes Kyla feel like an old biblical name, but it's only a reproduction, not a real antique.

Common in its native habitat, and worth consideration by parents in search of an authentic Irish name, though a pronunciation challenge.

This unusual form of Alexandra might be seen and pronounced as a combination of Alex and Anne.

Braeden was one of the many -aiden names that we heard everywhere just a few years ago. Now it's fading, along with Aiden, Jayden, and company.

Right in step with the two-syllable irish surname-names now on the rise.

One of many variants of the classic Alexander — this particular one is used in South Slavic countries.

This international variation deserves its own listing for a winning combination of distinctiveness and simplicity.

That i adds some extra spunk to mega popular Avery. It also adds some pronunciation confusion (as it could be pronounced AV-er-ee or AV-er-eye). We suggest sticking with the original Avery.