Names That Are Variations

An old Roman family name that could easily be mispronounced to make it supersevere.

We all know K is a very trendy letter right now, but what was wrong with Corbin?

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.

Murat was a very popular name in Turkey in the 1980s but is now progressively falling in popularity. It currently sits just outside the Top 80.

A venerable name closer to MELISSA than the original MILLICENT.

Esfir is a warm and traditional Russian name that derives from Esther. It might appeal to parents with Russian ancestry or those looking for a rarer alternative to Esther.

Variation of Alexander.

With more parents turning to biblical names like Ezekiel and Isaiah, this could prove a quasi-unique alternative in a similar -- if more Orthodox -- vein.

Makes Severin and Severus a little less, well, severe.

More commonly spelled FEODORA, a charming choice for the intrepid baby namer, especially with its dynamic nickname FEO (pronounced FAY-o).

Z names have been popular in recent years, and here's an obscure option for achieving the initial, though Zelina may be a little more successful in the US with its feminine -a ending.

A particularly distinctive and dainty example of the life-affirming family of names.

An over-elaborate Italian name associated with fashion designer Simonetta Colonna, a key figure in the emergence of Italian haute couture. Stop at SIMONE or SIMONA.

When the Danish author Karen Blixen chose Isak Dinesen as her male pseudonym, she set a precedent that could well be followed today.

Lexus, an automotive newcomer, has recently entered the Top 1000 -- more because of its association, we fear, with the status symbol car than its relation to the name Alexis. If you love this name, do your child a favor and make it Alexis or at least spell it Lexis.

Ilisa is a spelling variant that's less appealing than the original.

Not likely to succeed here because of the "yanking" association.

Claudina — a traditional Spanish diminutive of Claudia — was a Top 500 name in Spain for the first half of the 20th century. It never caught on as a given name in the US. At its peak, Claudina was given to 17 American baby girls in 1969.

Seen in Nordic countries as a nickname for Karolina or Karl.