Names That Are Variations

This spunky variation of the placid Cecilia might be a winner for those looking for a rare international version of a traditional name.

If Camden feels too masculine, Camdyn or Kamdyn may appeal to you for a girl, in line with Emersyn or Addisyn. However, while it was given to around 60 girls in 2023, this variation was still used nearly 3 times as many boys. The classic Camden with its ties to the hip market in London and the New Jersey city, may be a better way to go, given to more than 120 girls.

Isley is used more often for girls, thanks to the similar name Isla, but actor Glenn Howerton chose it for his son, born in 2014. The musical connection via the Isley Brothers puts it in the same category as more common unisex musician names such as Lennon, Hendrix, and Bowie.

X names are always intriguing, and this Galician version of John is no exception...except, it seems like an awful lot of complication. Other variations of John that might prove more wearable in an English-speaking country include Ian, Evan, Sean, Juan, Johannes, Jansen, Giovanni, Ivan or Hans.

The I freshens up this name.

Rhythmic, tangoish name quite popular in Spanish-speaking cultures.

This Swedish form of Sebastian would work nicely as a nickname.

This variant of Zaniah debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2007.

Thad is a tad too slight to stand alone as a name, though as a short form of the imposing Thaddeus it's as serviceable as Ted or Ed.

Timberly emerged on the charts in 1960 as an alternative to Kimberly. It never caught on and has been given to no more than 25 baby girls each year since. These days it may also be seen as an elaboration of Timber, an up-and-coming gender-neutral nature name.

Kristofer and all his cousins (and kousins) is an ancient name that was hugely popular from the 1970s through the 1990s, spawning a wide number of variations. Americans will be familiar with this phonetic spelling with an exotic spin.

A nice beachy name, but one that would require constant explanation.

The Finnish form of Jacob. A common nickname is Jaska.

Lovely variation of an upstanding classic.

The Basque form of Salvador starts with the intriguing letter X, which is pronounced like a "sh" sound in the Basque language. Xabat is a great Basque heritage choice, but we must note that it sounds almost identical to the word "Shabbat", the Jewish day of rest.

One of the most popular Turkish girl names of the past generation.

Kaitlynn seems to be trying too hard to make its pronunciation plain. At this point, everyone knows that the name however you spell it is pronounced like Kate plus Lynn, so why go all the way to Kaitlynn? This spelling has been stumbling down the charts since its peak in 1998 and may not be around much longer.