Names That Are Variations

Variation of Jans.

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.

Aleksej is the Slovene form of Alexios, making it a cognate of Alexis.

Tamar is a feminine Hebrew name, but this variation is used on girls and boys in the US. Tamari is also the name of a Japanese condiment similar to soy sauce.

Typically spelled with an accent over the I, as Martí, this name is a popular choice in the Catalan region of Spain. The I-ending spelling reads as feminine in many Anglophone countries — indeed, Marti was only used for baby girls in US in the last year on record.

Graziella, an Italian form of Grace, is another Latin version that adds spice. Consider Graziella as a distinctive alternative to either Grace or Gabriella.

Chirpy form of Leonard that's common in its native Slovenia.

Much less successful than other variations.

More grown up than Jamie, but never given to more than 13 baby girls in the US per year (and that back in 1968). Modern parents prefer Jamie, Jameson or even James itself, as Blake and Ryan Reynolds chose in 2014.

With the rise of Cameron, we've seen more and more spellings join the Top 1000—Kamryn, Camryn, and Kameron are just a few.

A handful of baby girls are still named Carlene every year, but today other feminizations of Charles or Carl, from Carly to Charlotte, are much more popular.

Kenia debuted on the US Top 1000 list in 1992. Even though it currently ranks higher than original spelling Kenya, this is a hard sell as it alters the spelling of the African nation.

This name feels modern and on-trend, thanks to that cool first similar — similar to trendy Asher — as well as associations with actor Ashton Kutcher. This particular spelling is nearly completely equally split between boys and girls in 2022.

Livelier Latin form of Edmund.

Extremely common in Wales and England, Dafydd would likely leave some non-Welsh speakers confused at first. But we love the soft, lispy quality this variation offers.

This name is related to Derek and Dietrich, either of which would be preferable.

Adds some spunk and Latin rhythm to mundane Martin.

Forster, a variation of Foster or potentially even Forester, is associated with British novelist E.M. Forster, author of A Passage to India, Howard's End, and A Room with a View. But if you choose Forster, you'd always have to force that 'r'.

Germans spell Stephanie with an f though the i ending is not traditional. Lady Gaga dropped the Stefani and No Doubt's Gwen sports is as a surname. Despite the celebrity connections, we say if you want to name your daughter Stephanie, name her Stephanie.

A Scandinavian short form of Johanna, properly pronounced with a Y sound at the start, but would likely be read as the more prosaic "John-a" in an English-speaking context.